Sunday, 14th July, 1799
At ten in the morning we steered West for a large space where no land was visible; and seeing breakers off the south point of the opening, were satisfied that this was Moreton Bay. The breakers are occasioned by a small, flat, rocky islands which lays North three or four miles from Cape Lookout. We passed between these and when the Point bore S. 5° E.6 two and a half miles, got ground with 20 fathoms, the bottom a blackish peppery sand. At noon Point Lookout bore S.E. three or three and a half miles and the observed latitude being 27° 24′ 6″ it raised some doubts whether this could be Moreton Bay, for Capt. Cook’s latitude of the Point is 27° 6′. This however proved to be Point Lookout and its latitude must be about 27° 26′ 3″ South.
After steering half an hour longer upon a West course, for an opening in the head of this bay, the water shoaled to four fathoms; and seeing breakers running out from the low sandy South side of the opening towards the middle of the Bay, we wore round and steered N.E.B.N. past the shoal water and then kept away along the shore for the northern extreme. There appeared to be a very large extent of water within the opening, but I suspect there is no passage for a vessel this way. The country to the seaward is wretchedly sandy, as was that which we sailed along in the afternoon. At dusk Cape Moreton bore West two or three miles, and the highest Glass House, whose peak was just topping over the distant land, had opened round it at W. 3° or 4° N. Two Haycock like hummocks distinct from any other land opened soon after a few degrees to the southward. We now hauled in round Cape Moreton to go into Glass House Bay, and, when the extreme of the Cape bore South one mile and half, struck soundings with fourteen fathoms upon a sandy bottom. Steering West, we carried eight fathoms till eight o’clock, when having little wind, and that from the southward, we dropped the anchor for the night, Cape Moreton bearing E. b. S. two or three miles. In the morning we made a trip over to the Glass Houses, the wind being from the South-westward, but getting into shoal water kept working to windward near the eastern shore till noon. The observed latitude then was 27° 00′ 29″ South and Cape Moreton bearing E. 10° N. 2 or 3 miles will be in the same latitude allowing the variation to be 10° East. This differs 41′ from its situation in Capt. Cook’s Voyage.
Monday, 15th July, 1799
At two o’clock we bore away to go round the shoal which had obliged us to tack in the morning, finding there was no passage between it and the Cape Moreton shore. Some part of this spit is so near the surface of the water that the swells from the sea broke upon it. We passed over the north point of the Shoal in a quarter less three fathoms, Cape Moreton then bearing East, six miles and a low sandy point on the west shore S. 41° W. The water deepened immediately to eight fathoms, but was very irregular afterwards between three and a half fathoms and thirteen. At eight in the evening we anchored in eleven fathoms, about two miles from the low sandy shore on the west side of the bay.
During the night I took two sets of distances of the star Fomalhaut east of the moons’s nearest and two of the star Antares west of the moon’s farthest limb. The corresponding time by the watch being corrected by altitudes of the stars Altair and Achirnar, and compared with the lunars, gave the longitude of the anchorage 153° 18′ 25″ east of Greenwich, which being reduced to Cape Moreton by the Sketch will be 153° 30′ 50′′ east for its longitude. According to Capt. Cook the longitude of the Cape is 153° 32′ S.15
Tuesday, 16th July, 1799
At daylight we again weighed to turn up the bay, the wind being still from the Southward. Assisted by a strong flood tide, we made good progress, but in half an hour were obliged to tack, having gotten into two and a half fathoms upon the edge of a large shoal. In stretching to the South-west our soundings were various: it first deepened to seven, then gradually shoaled to two and a quarter; deepened to five; shoaled again to two and three-quarters, and then again deepened to five and six fathoms. Seeing an opening in the low western land, I wished to anchor near it, in order to examine it with the boat whilst the returning tide was running, but here again the water shoaled and obliged us to tack for deeper water to anchor in. At a quarter past eight dropped the Anchor in three and half fathoms; the opening bearing N. 53° W. about five miles and the extreme of the land towards Cape Moreton N. 38 East.
From a low sandy point which is called Point Skirmish in the sketch of Glass House Bay, we proceeded up the opening which proved to be a river leading towards the Glass House Peaks. These peaks stand upon the low flat ground considerably within the mountains, and as far as I could judge, had every appearance of being volcanic. This was in some measure confirmed by the quantity of pumice stone laying at high water mark upon the eastern shore of the river, where we landed to see the nature and appearance of the country; the ebb tide which came very strong down the river, not permitting us to proceed up it. Amongst the largest and most common trees there was one which I had never seen at Port Jackson. The leafy parts afford a dark shade and bear some resemblance to a pine. When cut, the wood smelt strongly of turpentine, which it also excluded from places where the bark had been wounded. The external part of the wood is white, but the body of it is of a reddish brown; the bark somewhat resembles that of the tree called the iron bark at Port Jackson.
The soil was everywhere sandy where we saw it. In returning to the sloop, we passed by a dry shoal laying off the mouth of the river. The deep channel into the river is between this shoal and Point Skirmish, and there is from three to six fathoms in it.
From the situation where the Sloop lay at this time, the bay had no appearance of closing round, but seemed to promise a large river at its head, and a communication with Moreton Bay, if not something more interesting. At 3 in the afternoon we got under weigh with a light northerly air to proceed up it. In passing over the edge of the shoal upon which we had anchored, the Sloop touched the ground, but the rise of the tide took her over into deep water in a few minutes, and we then steered South, carrying regular soundings with us from six to four and a half fathoms till dark, and then anchored about three miles from the western shore in five fathoms upon a bottom which was soft and muddy, whereas heretofore the ground had been always sandy. The extreme of the land near Cape Moreton N 331° E. and the highest Glass House N. 441 W.
Wednesday, 17th July, 1799
At daylight on Wednesday morning we again weighed and turned up with a southerly breeze as long as the tide lasted. At half past ten o’clock anchored one mile and a half off a point that has red cliffs in it, in three and half fathoms. A little West of this point I observed the latitude with the artificial horizon to be 27° 16′ 25″ S. The bight which lays round the Point, is shoal with a muddy bottom; the land is low, but not so sandy as in the neighbourhood of the river. The rocks are a strongly impregnated Iron Stone, with some small pieces of granite and crystal scattered about the shore. From Red Cliff point we pulled over to a green head about two miles to the westward, round which the bight is contracted into a river-like form, but the greatest part of it is dry at low water.
The wood that we collected at high water mark for our fire, proved to be cedar and of a fine grain.
A light sea breeze coming from the northward in the afternoon, on our return on board, we got the sloop underway, steering our course S.E.b.S. The water gradually shoaled to two fathoms, and the breeze dying away at the same time, we pulled to the north eastward with the sweeps into two and a half, and then anchored for the night upon a soft muddy bottom. The extreme near Cape Moreton now bore N. 21° E. and the farthest connected land now visible on the same side of the bay, E.N.E., which is not far from the latitude of the entrance from Moreton Bay; the shore to the S.W. was four or five miles distant.
Thursday, 18th July, 1799
In the morning there was a moderate breeze from the Southward, and having a flood tide we got underweigh. After running a little to the northward to get into deeper water, we hauled up to pass between two islands of from three to four miles circuit each. The northernmost one is the largest and appeared to be well covered with wood, probably the greater part of mangrove, the island being low almost with the water’s edge. The foliage of the Trees upon the southern one was equally dark and luxuriant with this, but the interior part of the Island is higher. To the Southward of this last also, there are two smaller Islands, nearly upon a level with the first and covered with woods; the southernmost one, however, is very small. In passing between the two first islands, our soundings were from seven and a half to four and a half fathoms, with a muddy bottom, and then increased to twelve fathoms; but shoaling again suddenly to three we tacked to the westward a little before ten o’clock. In this situation the entrance from Moreton Bay was open, the South side of it bearing N. 68° E. six or eight miles and the west side of what will now be Moreton Island bore N. 2° W. Another island, apparently larger than either of the four mentioned, bore from the same place S. 55° to 34° E. at the distance of about five miles.
Reckoning the northernmost of the four islands to be the first in number, we made our course good for the third island, after tacking; and the water deepened almost immediately to six fathoms.
Friday, 19th July, 1799
The flood tide having ceased to run, we dropped the anchor at Noon, in six fathoms; and by the sun’s meridional altitude, in the latitude 27° 27′ 16″ South. The third island, upon which there were natives, bore W. 4° S. one and a half or two miles, and the centres of the two northern ones N. 40° and N. 15° W. The extreme from Moreton Bay bearing N. 68° E. from this Anchorage, confirms its latitude by the observation of the 14th, taken on the sea side of it, altho’ it differs considerably from that given by Capt. Cook. The difference may perhaps be thus accounted for. That great navigator finding by the meridional observation on the day, the previous evening to which he passed this part of the coast, that a northerly current had prevailed in the last twenty-four hours, probably allowed a proportional part of it to correct the situation of Point Lookout, as given by the log; whereas, in reality the northerly current might have commenced only the time that he opened the Moreton Bay entrance and became exposed to the outset from it. Nay, it is by no means improbable, but that, instead of a northerly, he might have had a southerly set from the preceding noon when the latitude was 27° 46′, to the time when he opened the entrance in the same manner it had prevailed the day before, when the observation was 17′ South of the log.
From our situation at this anchorage, Glass House Bay seemed to be closed round, except at one small opening, which bore S. 27° E. As soon as the ebb tide slacked, we got under weigh to turn up for it. On our standing near the south part of the shoal that seemed to surround the island we tacked occasionally to get as far up the bay as possible, whilst the tide was favorable for us. A little before twelve at night, we were obliged to anchor, finding that the deep water had contracted into a narrow channel. From this situation the South side of Moreton entrance bore N. 12° E. and the large eastern island from N5° E. to 38° W. at the distance of two or three miles. Between this island and the shore to the eastward there are two small spots, which being covered with wood look as if they were models for islands; their appearance very pretty.
In the morning we again weighed to beat up towards an island bearing S. 33° to 22° W. two or three miles, past which there appeared to be an arm leading to the Southward. After a good deal of trouble and getting frequently into shoal water, we were obliged to give up the idea of finding the deep channel, if there was any, and anchored about a mile and a half N.E.b.E. from the island, in two fathoms, the bottom muddy as before. Going on shore to the island in the boat, we sounded in six fathoms twice; from whence I conclude that there is a deep, though narrow passage to the eastward of this island. The island is two or three miles in circumference.
The central part is higher than the skirts and is covered with a coat of fine vegetable mould of a reddish colour. On the S.E. side of the island, this higher part descends suddenly into a steep bank, where the earth is as red as blood; and being clayey, portions of it are almost hardened into rock. The trees upon it are large and luxuriant and the new pine is amongst them. The exterior part of the island on the west side is a flat, which the tide seems to rise over. It is abundantly covered with large Mangrove Trees. On the S.W. and N.E. sides, it is mostly low and sandy and here the Palm-Nut tree is produced. I conjecture that it is these nuts principally which induce the natives to visit this island. There was abundant testimony under the trees that they were not suffered to fall off and rot.
The black and the white cockatoo, the beautiful laylock headed parroquet and the bald-headed mocking bird of Port Jackson, inhabit here, but there were no marks of resident quadrupeds, vermin excepted. The latitude of this island, deduced from the sun’s altitude at Noon is 27° 34′ 59″ S., making the depth of this bay from Cape Moreton to be thirty-four miles; for beyond this island the bay is contracted into a river of considerable width indeed, but it appeared to be so shoal, or if there was any deep channel, to be so difficult of access, that I gave up all idea of pursuing it further, especially as the wind seemed adverse; and therefore returned on board with the intention of running into the river near the Glass House peaks; there to lay the sloop ashore and get fresh water, if a convenient situation could be found.
Saturday, 20th July, 1799
It was with a good deal of trouble, and the risk of getting repeatedly aground that we again got into the deep channel, that runs past the south side of the large easternmost island.64 At three quarters of a mile from the point of a spit, laying off from the west end of this island and when the same spit bore N. 30° E. in a line with the south side of Moreton entrance, our soundings were five and half and six fathoms; and steering from thence with a fair breeze, to repass between the first and second islands, carried various soundings between 4 and 8 fathoms. At dusk we dropped the anchor on the north side of the second island,65 in two and a half fathoms; and next morning when it was low water, saw that the shoal, by which this island is partly if not altogether surrounded, was dry at no great distance from us. There was no appearance of natives upon this second island.
Rainy, blowing weather prevented us from getting under weigh earlier in the morning than 10 o’clock, and the interval in which it ceased, was so short that soon after eleven we anchored again in five fathoms. From thence we steered for the Pumice Stone River in the afternoon, thinking to run into it by the west side of the dry shoal that lays off its mouth; but finding after repeated attempts that the shoal water extended as it is marked in the sketch, and the wind being at South East, we anchored at sunset, in two fathoms; the mouth of the river bearing W. about two miles.
Monday, 22nd July, 1799
At seven o’clock in the morning, we got up to the mouth of the river with the sloop; but being calm the ebb tide obliged us to anchor for an hour; we then pulled in for the entrance, passing to the westward of the dry shoal over six feet water. A breeze from the North-west enabled us to turn up the river with the assistance of the flood; the soundings being from four to seven fathoms in the deepest parts, and the shoals distinguishable by the ripples upon them.
Tuesday, 23rd July, 1799
There are two flats with mangroves growing upon them, three or four miles up the river, past which there appeared to be a narrow channel of deep water, but in attempting it we touched the bottom and were obliged to run back for a little distance and cross over to the other side of the river, where the deep channel runs close to the eastern shore. The deepest part of the channel where it crosses over is near the upper side of a dry shoal, but there is only three fathoms on it, afterwards there are five and seven fathoms. Finding a place opposite to the mangrove flat where there was deep water close to the rocks and a beach just above it, convenient for laying the sloop ashore upon, we dropped the Anchor off the beach. After dinner, we slipped that cable, dropped another anchor off the steep rocks, veered in and made fast to the trees.
At two o’clock we hauled the sloop on shore and from six till nine in the evening were employed in filling up the seam with Oakum, which by dropping out, had occasioned the leak; and then nailing the plank to, afresh, covered the whole with tarred canvas and sheet lead. On account of the superior rise of the following tide, the Sloop was afloat by one o’clock in the morning; at which time we hauled her off to the anchor and at daylight took her alongside the steep rocks and employed the rest of the day in reshipping our ballast and water.
Thursday, 25th July, 1799
Having weighed the Anchors, we turned two or three miles up the river in the afternoon for the convenience of being nearer to the Glass House peaks, which I meant to take this opportunity of visiting. In the deepest parts of this river there were from four to six fathoms water, but the channel is much divided and narrow. We anchored in three and quarter fathoms.
Friday, 26th July, 1799
In the morning, I took the boat up a small branch that points towards the Peaks, but afterwards joining the main stream, forms two low mangrove islands, leaving the Glass Houses at some distance on the left hand. About half past nine I left the boat accompanied by two sailors and our native.
Steering N.W.b.W. through a low swampy country brought us to the side of a creek whose banks are low, muddy, and covered with Mangrove. This creek carried us to the S.W.ward to near the head of it, where the stream passing through a rushy swamp permitted us to wade over it. From thence we steered between N. 50° and 60° W., getting a sight of the flat topped peak at times, which appearing to be considerably higher than the highest Glass House, was that which I first meant to visit; but seeing one of the round sloping mounts still nearer to us, we altered our course for it, after having refreshed ourselves at Noon; and on walking about nine miles from the boat, reached the top. The country we walked through is low, and brushy, and in the latter part of the way somewhat uneven. swampy In the swampy parts, the surface is full of winding holes, where the water lodges and renders walking both tiresome and difficult. Those places that are somewhat higher are sandy or stony, and in these the grass tree abounds, but in general the trees are the same as before mentioned, except that the Pine was not observed amongst them.
The mount is a pile of stones of all sizes, mostly loose near the surface: the decayed vegetable matter that is lodged in the cavities, produces a thick covering of long but rather spindly grass, very fit for thatch, from its length. Its ascent is very difficult and similar to that up Mount Direction, which stands upon the east bank of Derwent River in Van Dieman’s Land. The trees upon the mount are of the same kinds as below, but straighter and more tall. The view of the bay and the neighbouring country is very extensive from the top of this mount; the uppermost part of the bay appeared at S. 24° E., where there were several smokes. This last bearing I apprehend to be near the head of the River, which the intricacy of the channel and the shortness of time combined, would not permit me to enter with the sloop. Near the head of Pumice Stone river there is a spread of water which bore S. 72° E.75 and seemed to divide off into small Branches; there were other small branches falling in below that: the whole forming a collection of channels, which ramifying through the low country draw off all the water that collects within the ridges of back mountains. These mountains appeared to be between ten and twenty miles distant, laying in a north and south direction, and the country between to be nearly as low as that we had walked over. There was a large smoke near the foot of them. From this mount, which is the eastern and northernmost of the two that appear in the sketch of the Glass Houses, the flat topped peak bore N. 8° W. one mile and a half. The way was over an irregular country, the higher parts of which were sandy and stony, the lower, swampy, as before. At about two thirds of the distance, a stream of water induced us to stop for the night, the sun being then below the trees.
Saturday, 27th July, 1799
At seven in the morning we were under the steep cliffs of the flat topped peak. The stone is whitish, close grained and hard, but not heavy. It is not stratified, but there were many cracks in it. At a little distance from the peak there were pieces of a reddish stone scattered about and some crumbs of granite. It somewhat surprised me that we met with no volcanic appearances. The Pumice Stone in the river and the situation of these stupendous Peaks upon low flat ground, induced me to form anxious expectations upon that head. But it must be observed that although I could not distinguish any marks of scoria, lava, basaltes or other igneous remains, they may still exist, more especially about the High Glass House, which was not visited; for unless very evident, they would escape my observation from inability to discover them. As the steepness of the cliffs utterly forbad all idea of ascending to the top of the flat-topped peak, we bent our course downwards to the river, steering S.S.E. to go clear of the head of the creek and of the swamps in its neighbourhood.
Sunday 28th – Monday 29th July, 1799
The marks of men and of animals were but very few and scarcely to be seen in the upper parts of the walk: birds were almost equally scarce, but we got a new kind of pheasant of the size of an English magpie: the Emu was not seen altho’ their voice had been so often heard as to induce us to think they must be numerous. The more inland part of the country is some- that we met with, was fit to grow a grain of wheat. thing better and higher than in the neighbourhood of the salt water, but none the river; the wind being S.S.E.
As soon as the ebb made in the morning, we got under weigh to turn down.
Tuesday, 30th July, 1799
On the day we laid the sloop on shore, the Rise of the tide in Pumice Stone River, was but three feet and nine inches. The tides were then neaped and the remark of Captain Cook that “they had only one high tide in twenty- four hours which happened in the night,” seems to apply here: for although the Sloop was roused up as high as the strength of our crew and heeling her on the bilge could effect, yet she righted a full hour and a half before the night tide had done flowing and presently one man hauled her off. This superior rise of the night tide is well known, and advantage taken of it, at Port Jackson; it also rises higher at Western Port, round the southern Promontory of New South Wales. The time of high water in the river, precedes the moon’s passage over the meridian by two hours and a half; I do not think the highest rise of the tide is more than seven, or less than five feet.
Wednesday, 31st July, 1799
Having a moderate breeze at S.B.W. with fine weather in the morning, we got underway with the weather tide and beat out of the river. In the narrow channel, between the dry shoal that lays in the mouth of the river, and the low sandy shore of the Main, we carried six fathoms water at the distance of between one or two cable lengths from the latter; but there were two lines of rippling water laying off from the shore, where we had but two and a half and two fathoms upon the least agitated parts; neither could I discover any more favorable passage by which Pumice Stone River may be entered. Nevertheless, I apprehend there must be one channel at least, with a depth of water more analogous to the entrance of the river.
The observed latitude at Noon 27° 4′ south, and the outer parts of Point Skirmish bore S. 30° W. about three miles; the soundings ten fathoms. Steering N.N.E. with a good southerly breeze, enabled me to set the principal to those taken from the top of the eastern sloping mount, will ascertain their relative positions with moderate correctness. We were running four knots and a half per hour, when at 50′ past noon, the song “and a half three” awakened my attention; and the depth of water only varied between that of six fathoms till 1h 31′, at which time there appeared to be a well defined line stretching towards Cape Moreton, which bore S. 68° E. This line terminated the shoal water of Glass House Bay. No ground could now be found with the hand line at the present rate of sailing, but on throwing the Sloop up in the wind, we struck a sandy bottom with twenty-five fathoms, and Cape Moreton then bore S. 56° E.; the last sight of this cape was at 5′ past 5, when it bore S. 30° E., between eight and nine leagues; and as it was just disappearing from the deck, where the elevation of the eye was seven and a half or eight feet, a judgement may be formed of its height: and thence, a more correct estimate of the distance of any ship, that shall have this cape appearing in her Horizon. The highest Glass House bearing S. 43° W. at the same time, corrects the distance of Cape Moreton given by the Log; for it lays W. N. thirty-two miles from the Cape. On opening the Glass House in this point of view, it appears like a small peak upon the more distant ridge of Mountains, but, should the weather be clear, its whole form will be distinctly visible. The sloping mounts are at least equally remarkable from hence, having no back land, in the shade of which their forms might be lost.
This back ridge of mountains lays about ten leagues from the west side of the Bay at its entrance; but in stretching to the South, the mountains curve a little eastward, approaching nearer to the water at the head of the bay. The intermediate land is mostly a low flat, more especially in the northern parts, where it is intersected by channels, which convey the water, collected within this circular ridge, into the bay, principally by means of Pumice Stone River. Near the head of the bay, it is probable that a considerable part of the land will be found fit for agricultural purposes. It will appear in the course of this narrative and in the sketch, that Glass House Bay is full of shoals. Nor can I attempt to point out any passage that will lead a ship into it, without danger: the east side of the bay is yet unfathomed, probably it may afford one. The latitude of Cape Moreton, has before been given at 27° 00′ 29′′ South and its longitude at 153° 30′ 50′′ east. The variation resulting from a single amplitude was 9° 56′ east. I have called the land upon which Cape Moreton is situated, Moreton Island, supposing it to be that which its immortal discoverer91 would have applied to it, had he known of its insulation. The bearings have cut it off to a strip of Island, whose greatest extent East and West, is not more than 4 or 5 miles; but according to the observations for the latitude, its meridional extent is twenty-two miles. The ridge of land which runs along the middle of the Island, is nearly of the same height with the Cape, and altho’ it appears to be composed of great piles of sand, heaped together upon a base, mostly of stone, it is yet interspersed with small trees calculated to mislead a distant observer, who would probably think that some parts of it were not amongst the most barren spots in the universe,
In passing out of the Bay, we saw a large turtle laying asleep upon the water, whence it becomes not improbable, that the capture of these animals may form a part of the labours of the inhabitants: and of the Intention of their large nets.
The southerly wind, with which we were making such progress towards Herveys Bay, our next place of destination, veered round to the east during the night which obliged us to keep close up to it.