Thursday, 24th July, 1828
With four weeks’ provisions for eight persons, and accompanied by that gentleman and Mr. Fraser, I commenced (on the 24th of that month) my journey from the river’s bank, opposite the settlement, from which point a line of road had been marked about five miles in a southerly direction, towards some very thinly and lightly-wooded lands known by the title of ‘Cowper’s Plains,’ to which salt water flows from the Brisbane river, through the medium of Canoe creek of the late Mr. Oxley, the clearing of which at its upper part of fallen timber, to render it navigable (during the rise of the flood tide) for boats of burden to the plains, which are said to contain two thousand or three thousand acres of good available land, fit for agricultural purposes, will doubtless be at some future period worth effecting.
The country upon which we entered from the bank of the Brisbane we found to consist for the most part of rather heavily timbered forest ground, of a slightly undulated surface, productive of good grass, but (at that season) very indifferently supplied with water. The timbers were chiefly of the prevailing eucalypti – viz., iron bark, white and red gums, with an occasional interspersion of the casuarina, or forest oak, and a tree affecting humid situations, the density of whose laurel-like foliage cast a most agreeable shade around. It forms a species of Mr. Brown’s genus tristania, yet unpublished. In something short of five miles, the marked track terminates at a fresh water creek, from which, having rested the bullocks a short period, and observed the altitude of the sun on the meridian, which gave us for latitude 27 deg. 33 min. 30 sec. S., we resumed our journey upon a course by compass, south, over an extensive wooded flat, bearing marks of irrigation by rains in wet seasons, Cowper’s Plains lying about a mile to the westward of our line of route.
The weight of provisions and baggage borne by the pack bullocks proving so considerable as to require the utmost care not to push them in their daily stages beyond their strength, and thereby defeat the designs so fully contemplated in the plan of our journey, it was proposed to halt for the day, upon reaching (at our seventh mile) Canoe creek, at a part of it sufficiently distant from its point of connexion with the Brisbane, to afford us an ample supply of fresh water. We therefore, on crossing it, pitched our tents on the bank – our barometer at sunset showing us that we were at so low a level that our elevation above the sea shore was scarcely recognisable by the mercurial column.
Friday, 25th July, 1828
The country at south for about ten miles preserves a like depressed surface, and may be characterised by an alternation of tea-tree flat, exceedingly swampy in wet weather, and low hungry forest ground in which honey- suckles (Banksia compar of botanists) are very generally interspersed.
Saturday, 26th July, 1828
Continuing southerly, however, the land improves, an undulation of the surface takes place, the soil becomes richer, furnishing some tolerable patches of grass. In these forest grounds several dry water-channels were crossed, and as these all dipped easterly, we were led to conclude that we were approaching some stream, the bank of which we at length reached in latitude 27 deg. 48 min. S. It proved to be the Logan river, which after a course of about twenty miles to the eastward, disembogues itself on the southern shores of Moreton Bay. At the point at which we crossed, it assumed the character of a murmuring brook, hastening with a brisk current towards the sea, about ten or fifteen yards in breadth, and although fordable in many parts, nevertheless bore upon its alluvial brushy banks the manifest proofs of being flooded in seasons of protracted rains to the depth of twenty feet.
Sunday, 27th July, 1828
Upon passing some ordinary forest ground, where were observed some huts of natives that appeared to have been recently occupied, we again intersected the tortuous channel of this small river, which on being traced up southerly about two miles was observed to take a bend from the westward, in which direction the country appeared again perfectly level, but so generally covered with ‘viney brush’ as to form a jungle far too dense to allow of our attempting a passage through it with our laden oxen, with the view of avoiding an elevated rocky range of forest hills which now lay in our way at south.
By a stony lateral ridge we succeeded, beyond expectation and without difficulty or accident, in gaining the summit of this range, which declining to the westward southerly, induced us to trace its ridge in that direction to the close of the day, when we were obliged to halt on a part of the ridge destitute of water, which, however, was discovered after a diligent search at the foot of the range, distant about a mile.
In tracing this range (to which was given the name of Birnam) we penetrated some patches of brush which afforded Mr. Fraser and myself several interesting unpublished plants: and of the rocks, we gathered some fragments of a stone which the natives had been using to scrape or polish their spears. It was perfectly white, exceedingly compact, and although appearing like granulated quartz, nevertheless contained much clay.
Monday, 28th July, 1828
This range would seem to be the pass used by the natives in their wanderings from the country we have already traversed, to the forest lands southerly, since on resuming our route on the morning of the 28th, we found a passage at the south base of the ridge, cut through a thick brush, in which there were abundant traces of these Indians having frequently passed and repassed. From the south-west foot of Birnam Range we prosecuted our journey over a patch of improving forest ground to an exceedingly pretty patch of plain, about a mile in breadth by perhaps four in length from east to west. Its soil proved to be exceedingly rich, and well clothed with grass and other esculent vegetables. This very interesting spot, which Captain Logan named ‘Letitia’s Plain,’ is watered on its western side by the Logan, the channel of which was perceived to bend its course northerly round the western base of Birnam Range.
In the forest ground on the south side of the plain we reached a lagoon of considerable depth, and about one fourth of a mile in length, which appeared to be entirely sustained by the surcharge of waters of the Logan in seasons of long rains. Whilst Mr. Fraser was engaged taking up the knobbed roots of a beautiful nymphaea-like aquatic, which had unrolled its ample heart-shaped leaves to the solar heat on the surface of this water, I observed the latitude at its southern extremity, which proving to be 27 deg. 56 min. 05 sec. S., placed our position on the chart 27 1⁄2 geographical miles south of Brisbane Town, its longitude by account being 33 miles west of the meridian of that settlement – viz., 152 deg. 58 min. E. Pursuing our journey southerly through an open forest, having the river, overshadowed by a density of viney thicket immediately on our right, we traversed flats of good ground, liable, however, to occasional inundation.
As the country on the opposite bank of the river appeared altogether more open and better adapted for travelling than the one on which we were pursuing our way, it became desirable to cross it at any part where the investing brush on the banks would admit of the descent of the bullocks to the bed of the stream. This we discovered at our third mile from the lagoon; we there- fore, passed over to the level ground on the western bank, and then finding the day was far spent (so much time having been unavoidably occupied in conveying the various baggage over on the shoulders of the people) it was deemed advisable to rest.
Tuesday, 29th July, 1828
During the whole of the following day (29th July) we were confined to our tents by heavy rain, which had been blown over to us from the mountain ranges by the prevailing westerly winds. Some short periods of intermission of the falling showers, allowing the sun to burst forth, enabled me to observe an azimuth, as also the latitude at noon. The former gave a variation of 8 deg. 35 min. east, whilst the latter showed us that we were within 2 min. of the parallel of 28 deg. S. The results of the barometrical data gave our encamping ground a mean elevation of about three hundred and twenty feet above the shores of Moreton Bay; and the mean temperature of the atmosphere during the rain was 59 deg. Fahr.
Wednesday, 30th July, 1828
Fine weather being again restored to us on the morning of the 30th, we continued our journey to the S.S.W. – a course shaped to use by the direction from which the channel of the Logan had inclined. The flat over which we travelled we found of a fine rich soil, and among the grasses (the usual products of such lands) we remarked the native bird’s foot trefoil (Lotus australis.)
In a north-western direction, this forest-flat appeared to extend several miles towards that lofty mountain marked on the old charts ‘High Peak’- an elevated cone, forming no inconsiderable feature of the landscape of that part of the country on which it stands. Immediately before us in our course we observed an interesting hilly country, and on completing our third mile over the forest flat, reached the foot of a grassy hill, under the eastern base of which the river winds from about south.
Climbing this eminence in company with Captain Logan and Mr. Fraser, we found it commanded a very rich and extensive view, embodying perhaps as much variety of feature as is to be met with in any known part of New South Wales. Immediately beneath us an extent of grassy vale stretched to the southward, bounded on either side by elevated forest ridges, lightly timbered, and seemingly clothed with a grassy verdure to their very summits.
Through this vale we could trace with the eye the windings of the Logan several miles from a lofty country at south, in which we subsequently covered that stream to originate; and in extending our view to the S.S.W. and S.W., a bold and singularly precipitous range of mountain peaks met the eye, distant by estimation about twenty-five miles, the interjacent country being of considerably less elevation, but broken and irregular.
It was to the base of these peaks that Captain Logan (who had considered one or other of them to be the cone of Mount Warning) had penetrated last year from Brisbane Town, and with his usual perseverance had attempted (although in vain) to gain the summit of the highest point.
A simple reference, however, to the chart of the coast and adjacent country on which I had marked our position (determined as respects latitude by astronomical observation; and with regard to longitude by a careful account kept from Brisbane Town), showed me that we were at least fifteen geographic miles to the westward of the meridian assigned that lofty peak by navigators, and that, therefore (unless we are disposed to agree with Captain Rous, who asserts that it is actually situated ‘at least twenty miles further inland than has been allotted to it in the maps, ‘ which cannot possibly be the case), it is abundantly obvious that the lofty points before us, bearing S.W. and S.S.W., are perfectly distinct from the range seen daily from seaward by the passing mariner, of which Mount Warning, of that great circumnavigator, the immortal Cook, is the most elevated pinnacle.
Descending this hill, which received the name of Mount Dunsinane, we pursued our journey to the south about five miles through the valley to a small, round, rocky mount, perfectly isolated, and standing above the plane of the vale about one hundred and fifty feet. At the foot of this remarkable hill, immediately on the bank of the river, we again rested. Upon ascending this rocky mount, to take a few connecting bearings, we observed its eastern side and summit were composed of trap-rock in large irregular masses, whilst the western slopes were studded with basaltic columns of regular prismatic figures of five sides, of whom some were from four to five feet in height by about one in diameter. The original position of these columns, which was doubtless erect, appeared to us evidently to have been disturbed by some violent concussion, as many were thrown down on their sides, whilst others, by being wedged up, stood so nearly upright as not to incline more than a few degrees out of a vertical line. Finding this hill too low to allow me to make any observations of the country before us, beyond what we had already noted, we descended to the tents. On arriving upon the ground at the close of the day’s stage, on which we had encamped, we perceived a rising smoke at the foot of the hill, and immediately afterwards observed two or three natives upon the summit, to which commanding spot they had with the utmost precipitation retired. On our reaching the top of the mount they had descended the opposite side, and had in all probability crossed the river to a brush on the right bank, as an old man who had concealed himself behind a tree near the bottom of the hill ran off (upon our passing the spot) in that direction, in a state of dreadful apprehension; and such was the alarm induced by our presence that it totally prevented that friendly parley which we could have wished to have brought about.
At their fires we found the bags and little paraphernalia of the women, showing clearly that the precipitous haste with which these savages had urged their flight had not even afforded them a moment to gather their few articles of economy together.
Around were quantities of the large seed of that exceedingly ornamental tree of close woods, called at Moreton Bay ‘chestnut,’ for which, when toasted, it is by no means a bad substitute. Upon these nuts the few natives who wander through these lonely regions chiefly subsist during some months of the year, as (like the English chestnut, castanea vesca) they contain evidently some saccharine and much farinaceous matter, and by being well roasted are rendered easy of digestion.
Thursday, 31st July, 1828
At about two miles south from our encampment the Logan bends from the eastward, watering in its course a patch of plain, originally seen by Lieutenant Innes, of His Majesty’s 57th Regiment, who during his residence at Moreton Bay, frequently undertook bush excursions. Captain Logan attached that officer’s name to it, and it now appears on the chart.
The valley through which we continued our journey south (named also by our excellent commandant ‘Erris Vale’) continues from the basaltic hill about five miles, and is then bounded on the south by forest hills of an indifferent character. Prosecuting our course southerly, we penetrated a progressively rising country, and on passing a succession of forest ridges, at length again had a sight of the river, which had wound its channel from the westward among the lofty wooded ridges which at length invested us on all sides.
Friday, 1st August, 1828
On the 1st August, in pushing our way further to the south, we crossed the Logan, much diminished in size, and after a fruitless attempt to continue to the southward, we found ourselves so perfectly hemmed in by steep, lofty, wooded ridges, that we were obliged to return to the river, which we traced westerly until its division into divers streamlets indicated our near approach to its source.
Saturday, 2nd August, 1828
On the 2nd August we were climbing the hills, and pursuing as steady a course to the S.W. as the difficult nature of the ground would admit of. Early in the afternoon of this day we descended to a flat or valley, where (finding abundance of good water) I directed the tents to be pitched at a short distance from the spot whereon Captain Logan had last year bivouaced. We had now approached within three miles of the actual base of the stupendous range of mountains (first seen from Mount Dunsinane) whose broad dome-like and conical summits, of rock for the most part, denuded of vegetation, and now fully open to our view, presented a specimen of bold and rugged scenery not to be found in any explored part of the country. It was originally our design to penetrate no further to the southward than the base of this colossean range, in which Captain Logan still considered the peak of Mount Warning was situate, and, therefore, as our bullocks required some repose, it was proposed to employ what time we had to spare in exploring the most elevated of the mountain group, and afterwards endeavour, by stages that would not distress our oxen, to proceed westerly towards the gap or hollow in the back of the dividing range.
Upon setting up the barometer at the close of the day, the mercurial column, I was surprised to find, had fallen only to 28.520 in., which showed us that, notwithstanding the hills we had climbed since we had left the Vale of Erris, our tents did not stand on higher ground above the level of the ocean than nine hundred and fifty-three feet.