SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 19th
A fine, pleasant morning. At 10 I recommended the survey of the river from the point where the former one ended. First Station: A, on larboard side, back to tree formerly taken. N. 60° E. 30 chains. N. 271° 60, to tree on Ld. bank. The land on which we encamped last night nearly an island; the soil light and good, apple tree and blue gum.
Station B. to C. – N.323 ½° 90 chains, in line with a hill on std. shore, distant from it, perhaps, four or give miles; both shores flat, forest land, apple tree. The former station laid down 10 chains too long. This last reach the river widened to about 15 chains, and was shoal the whole length up, having no more than from eighth to 10 feet, in some places only six.
At D. on the larboard shore, N. 325°, one mile, to E on starboard shore cutting the point on this side, both sides low. This reach the soundings varied from eight feet to several fathoms towards the starboard shore and latter part of it. The starboard shore towards the end of the station is lofty and rocky, the ridges covered with ironbark trees; the opposite side low and brushy immediately on the shore. A little back the land rises into an open apple tree flat.
From E. to F., N 221 ½° 40. The soundings along this bend of the river varied from four fathoms to 10 feet. The river at end widened considerably, and the country on the larboard shore to the next station fine open forest. Towards the end, the bank rises a little, but is very open. From F to G., N 189° 120 chains. To this station the soundings from eight feet to several fathoms; but I consider there is on the larboard shore a good channel of eight feet at low water. At the end the river narrowed a little, and the soundings increased to seven fathoms.
From station G to H., N 277 ½ 30 chains; a creek to the left. The bend narrows the river to about eight chains. A deep channel, four and five fathoms, at end. The bank on the left commences low, the opposite side ascending to a forest bank of gentle elevation.
H to J., 60 chains, N. 350, 60, a ridge of hills of moderate elevation laying about S.S.W. and N.N.E in line with this station, their base about two miles and three-quarters back from the end of it. The first rapid was crossed near the commencement of this station, having four feet over it; it was about 150 yards long. The breadth of the river about 280 yards. At the end of this station another four foot rapid and a considerable creek or stream on the L. opposite. The country around very fine; the range of hills before mentioned crossed the present course of the river at a right angle. Forest flats on both sides, no appearance of floods, and the tide appears to rise about 18 inches.
From J to K, N. 338° 60, passing between a low, sandy Isle and the starboard shores, the other side shoal. The land on the left, a fine open forest flat, also on the right. Tide rises about two feet; average depth in the channel, which is close to the starboard side, about give feet; the river about 20 chains wide. K to L, N. 332° 100 chains; average depth, seventeen; width of river, about 12 to 15 chains. The larboard shore a steep forest bank, surmounted by ironbark trees, apparently not good, but grassy, resting on a base of sandstone; opposite side a fine flat of land, very lightly timbered. L to M, north 90 chanel the opposite shore from the end of this station rises along the source of the river into higher forest land than before, and at the end of the next station is a small, steep clear hill, perhaps about 150 feet high the opposite point on the left land; the soil of these flats light, but good. Average Sdgs. six to eight feet. M to N, N. 14° 35 chains.
From station N to O, N. 341° 45 chains, small islts. At N. Obtained specimens of the rocky base of the hill, a small brush turning the side of the hill to the R. The country rises on that side into bold forest hills of considerable elevation. The river appears still to have a rise of about two feet of tide. At the end of this station we passed the shoalest rapid we had yet met, having only three feet pebbly bottom. A chain or two beyond the station, rocks in the river; no appearance of floods.
O to P, N. 321° 60 chains. On the right to the end this station a very lofty rocky bank, at end a brush having much pine growing in it, the brush extending up the sides, and on the summit of the hill.
P to Q. N. 271° 50. Starboard shore lofty, with a thick brush on the sides, much pine; opposite shore, low forest; same rise of tide as before.
Q to R, N. 237 ½° 35 chains. Left bank low, the right lofty, hilly bank very steep; river about give chains wide two and a-half fathoms.
R to S, N. 177 ½° 20. Left bank low, with pebbles indicating at some very distant period that it had been overflowed. Starboard shore continues hilly, but declining to a point which had evidently, by its sandy shore and pebbly surface, been at some period washed by an inundation; a flood would be too weak an expression to use for a collection of water rising to the height (full 50 feet), which the appearance of the shore here renders probable; the width of the river must then be about half-a-mile. The left bank rose into an elevated ridge of grassy land, stony, and closely stuffed with trees, chiefly gum and ironbark. We halted on the pebble bank for the night about half-past four, and while our dinner was preparing, Mr. C., Mr. B. and myself ascended the high grassy ridge on the opposite side, and from it we had a very extended view to the S.W., in which quarter two remarkable points, bearing respectively, N. 205° and N. 210 ½° of a lofty and (wooded peak, afterwards called Belle Vue Mt.m No 280) magnificent range of mountains were seen; this range was distant between 60 and 70 mills, and the country, though probably broken into lower ranges, did not present any remarkable feature above the general surface, it appeared a wooded level. It seemed probably that the river or some branch of it flowed from between the points whose bearings were taken. The result of the day’s observations effectually destroyed the perhaps too ardent and flattering hopes I had indulged that this large river would prove the outlet for the waters of the greater Western interior; in proportion to the strength of my expectations was my feeling of disappointment, and I again experienced the fallacy of trusting to appearances, which, in countries where the rules governing the operations of Nature are more certainly reduced to known laws, would fully have warranted the opinion I had formed, connected as that opinion was and is with the conviction I cannot but still impressed with, that the water of the Western interior cannot be entirely dissipated by evaporation.
MONDAYS SEPTEMBER 20th
The fogs and dews intensely heavy, but are soon dissipated by the strength of the morning sun. At nine, resumed the examination of the river.
Station A. T on larboard shore to B, N. 162 ½° 30.
B to C. N. 221° 12 chains. Larboard shore declining from the ridge to a flat of rich land; tide flowing.
C to D, N. 255° 60. The larboard shore declines to a flat, and the starboard shore rises into grassy ridges of open forest land; sand shoals and islands in the river.
D to E, N. 234° 25 chains. At the end of this station the starboard side declines from the grassy ridges to a flat. The whole of the last reach the river was shoal and wide, having now about two feet water, and at high water perhaps 15 inches more.
E to F, N. 217° 40 chains. A long sandy point from larboard shore; the river shoal, the flats continue alternatively free from inundation. At end of this station, the opposite side rises into forest ridges, while a flat commences on the starboard. Passed on the left hand a remarkable point of trees jutting out from the sand, in time of flood an isld.; a little above a bold rock of a species of quartz protruded into the water.
F to G, N. 198° 20 chains; G to H, N. 249 ½° 12; H to I, N to 269° 20; river very shoal, tide flowing.
I to K, N. 235° 12; rapids, tide ceases to flow. Boat navigation ends; pulled the boats with some little difficulty over the rapid.
K to L., N. 278° 60. The larboard shore steep and hilly, the opposite side good flat. The whole of this reach and the next a shoal rapid, the river about quarter of a mile wide, the channel of the water narrow as well as shoal, the water percolating through the gravelly shoals which engross the greater part of the width. Landed on the larboard shore, and ascended the high ridge forming the bank of that river; walked to its western extreme; the view was not very extensive in any direction. To the west was a very lofty ridge of hills, covered to their summits with pine, and the river apparently wound round its base; the country was broken with forest hills, some of considerable elevation, and on the whole it had a very pleasing and picturesque aspect. The high range seen yesterday was not visible.
L to M, N. 265° 60. All shoal; it was half-past four before the boats cleared the rapids.
M to N, N. 278° 50 chains. We encamped for the night near the end of this station on a gravelly point on the starboard shore. The opposite bank of the river rose nearly perpendicular from the water to the height of 150 feet, presenting a rocky front composed of coarse pudding stone, dipping to the E by N about 15°. Many large detached rocks on the margin of the water were a species of granite sandstone.
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 21st
A fine, clear morning. As a narrow channel of the river a little above our encampment was blocked by several large trees laying across, I determined to endeavour to clear it before we loaded the boats. The river here between the banks was full quarter of a mile wide; the channel through which the water flowed not more than 30 yards; the remaining water of the stream, entering the pebble shoals, flowed under them, and again emptied themselves into the deep reaches which invariably lay between the rapids. While the people were employed in clearing the channel, Messrs. C., B. and myself resolved to examine the river and see what other difficulties might be opposed to our further progress in the boats.
Station N to O, N. 36° 90. At the end of this station the starboard shore a perpendicular rock of pudding stone, about 70 feet high, strata horizontal.
O to P, N. 247° 100. Walked along the steep bank of the river on the left-hand side; the opposite side flat, rising into the forest hills, the highest peak of which is above the base of O. At the end of this station a peak, hitherto taken for Flinders Peak, N. 166°, distant about 20 miles, presenting a bold, rocky, front to the westward. Centre of the south end of a pine ridge, to which our course is directed, N. 259° distant about 4 miles.
P to Q, river bends up N. 295° 80, at the extreme of which a sandy point commences this side. At two miles, crossed the river in direction of the bearing of Pine Ridge. Crossed a barren, stone tract for about 1 ¾ mile more, and came to the edge of the river at the bast of Pine Ridge, the river bearing of the reach N. 5° and N. 185°, about two miles. Having crossed the river, we penetrated through a very thick brush abounding with stately and magnificent pines, which towered far above the other timber of the hill, among which was the Flindersia. Mr C. procured a couple of young cones, which satisfactorily demonstrated that the tree which had excited so much admiration was an entirely new species of the genus Araucaria, being the first discovered in New South Wales, and decidedly the growth of the interior, and not a coast tree. We measured one, the first we came to, the circumference of which was 10 feet. Many others were of greater magnitude, which was carried up perfectly straight without a branch to a height of from 50 to 100 feet, the whole height in the full-grown trees being at least 150 feet. To this stately tree Mr C. gave the name of the Brisbane pine, as being first discovered on the banks of the river of the same name. Mr. C. in this noble forest discovered many new and valuable plants, among them a Calystema or Pancratium, the bulbs of which were procured. My hopes of finding this an interior river, which I had considered so effectually destroyed in consequence of the appearance of the river on the 19th, were this day destined to be again awakened, and my sanguine expectations unexpectedly confirmed, so far at least as conclusive arguments can be drawn, from the discovery of fish hitherto known only to exist in the waters of the western interior. On our route towards the Pine Ridge we fell in the with an old native, who had been fishing. When we had crossed the river he sat down by Mr. Cunningham, who, seeing the tail of a fish protruding from the mouth of his bag, began to examine the contents, and before he could disengage the fish exclaimed, “This is a Bathurst code fish.” On the fish being placed fairly before us, not a double could possibly exist of their exact identity in every particular. This species of fish was intimately known both to Mr. Cunningham and myself, and we also knew that it did not exist in any Eastern waters. The fish measured 1 foot 9 ½ inches in length, and was 5 ½ inches broad. The dorsal fins had 11 rays, the anal fin three rays; towards the breast the pectoral fins were places before the ventral fins having each four rays; the ventral fins were many-rayed and rounded, the caudal, or tail fin, the same; four tiers of gills. With those that had once seen the fish of the Western waters no doubts could remain; no other fish ever seen in any of the other fresh waters of the colony having the smallest resemblance to them. Since we had been among the rapids, several fish of very large size, some measuring more than four feet long have been seen by us all in the deep pools under the steep banks. These we called the fresh-water shark, having only an imperfect view of them through the dark shade of the waters. The larger-sized fish of the Bathurst fish do in outward form and at a distance somewhat resemble shark. The Pine Hill being clothed with an almost impervious vegetation to its very summit, of course our hopes of an extended prospect were disappointed, and we returned to the tent highly gratified and exhilarated by the day’s occurrences and acquisitions, though quite exhausted by the heat of the sun and the length and difficult of the journey.