Aimed at the casuall reader or the serious student or historian, Australian Explorers presents the journals of several great explorers of the Australian continent.
The whole Australian Explorers website can be searched, or else using the second search box, the currently open journal or chapter can be searched.xxx
Saturday, 12th July, The Mary, Adelaide River. Started at 7.30; course, north-west. At one mile and a half came upon a running stream coming from the north-east; had great difficulty in getting the horses across, the banks being so boggy. One got fixed in it and was nearly drowned; in an hour succeeded in getting them all safe across. At six miles I ascended a high, tall, and stony hill; the view is not good, except to the westward. In that direction there is seemingly a high range in the far distance, appearing to run north and south; the highest point of the end of the range is west, to which the river seems to tend. My horse being so lame for the want of shoeing, I shall strike in for the river and follow it for another two miles, as it seems to run so much to the westward. I have resolved to use some of the horseshoes I have been saving to take me back over the stony country of South Australia. To enable McGorrerey to get them all shod on the front feet before Monday, I have camped. There is still a slaty range on each side of the river, with quartz hills close down to it; the timber the same as yesterday. The country has recently all been burned; but, judging from the small patches that have escaped, has been well grassed up to the pass of the hills. The valley and banks of the creeks are of beautiful alluvial soil. One new feature seen to-day is the growing of large clumps of bamboo on the banks of the river, from fifty to sixty feet in height and about six inches in diameter at the butt. I am now on one of the tributaries of the Adelaide River. There must have been a dreadful fire here a few days ago; it has destroyed everything before it, except the green trees, to the edge of the water. Slight winds, variable. Latitude, 13 degrees 35 minutes 58 seconds.
Monday, 14th July, The Mary, Adelaide River. One of the horses cannot be found this morning, and he has been for some time very ill and weak, and no appearance of getting better. It was my intention to have left him. We have been all round the tracks forward and backward over the feeding-ground and can see nothing of him. I am afraid he has gone off to some place and died; I shall therefore waste no more time in looking for him. If he is alive I may have a chance of recovering him on my return. Late start, in consequence of so long looking for him. As I have now got all the horses shod on the front feet, I shall proceed on a north-west course through the stony rises, which are still quartz and slate, splendidly grassed, with gums and other trees and bushes not too thick to get through with ease. Crossed six small creeks, one with holes with water in them; the third one, a large creek, which I crossed at nine miles, I have named William Creek, after the second son of John Chambers, Esquire, of Adelaide; all running at right angles to my course. Immediately after crossing this last creek the country changed to granite; the rises are composed of immense blocks of it, with occasionally some quartz. The country has been all burned. The valleys between the granite rises are broad and of first-rate soil, many of them are quite green, caused by springs oozing from the granite rock. We have passed a number of trees resembling the iron-bark, also some like new ones, and many shrubs which Mr. Kekwick has found. Wind, south-east. Latitude, 13 degrees 29 minutes 25 seconds.
Tuesday, 15th July, Billiatt Springs. I have named these springs in token of my approbation of Billiatt's thoughtful, generous, and unselfish conduct throughout the expedition. I started at 7.40 this morning, course north-west. Crossed granite and quartz rises, with broad valleys between, both splendidly grassed. At three miles crossed a small creek with water; at another mile the same creek again; one also to my line on the south-west side, and immediately went off to the south-west. At six miles the river came close to the line, and immediately went off to the west. Continued on my course through granite and quartz country, splendidly grassed, and timbered with stringy-bark and gums, pines, palms, nut-trees, and a wattle bush, which in some places was rather thick, but not at all difficult to get through. At ten miles again struck the river; it is now apparently running to the north. Changed to that course, but it soon left me. At three miles and a half on the north course struck another creek running from the range north-east; it has an abundance of water, and is rather boggy. King's horse fell with him in it, but did no further injury than giving him a wetting. A few of the other horses stumbled and rolled about in it for a short time, but we got them all across without accident. Changed to west of north; at half a mile reached a saddle between two hills, and ascended the one to the west, the river now running between ranges to the west; they seemed a good deal broken, with some high points to the north-west. There is a higher one, seemingly running north and south, with apparently a plain between about four miles broad, on which are four or five lines of dark trees; this leads me to suppose that the river is divided. The plain being very thickly timbered, I could not see distinctly which was the main channel. Descended, and proceeded on a north-west course. At one mile and a half struck the river, again running north; changed to that, and at two miles and a half camped. The country is now all burnt. I am obliged to stop where I can get feed for the horses. One of the channels comes close to the bank, east side, about six yards wide and two feet deep; bed sandy. The main channel must be in the middle of the plain. The hill I ascended to-day has been under the influence of fire; it is composed of quartz, and a hard dark-coloured stone; the quartz runs in veins throughout it, in places crystalline, and formed into spiral and many-sided figures; in places there is a crust of iron, as if it had been run between the stones, that is also crystalline. Wind, south-east. Latitude, 13 degrees 17 minutes 22 seconds.
Wednesday, 16th July, The Mary, Adelaide River. Started at 7.40, course north. The river runs off again to the north-west, and I have passed over an undulating country, all burnt, but the soil of the richest description. The rises are comprised of quartz and a hard white stone, with occasionally a little ironstone. At three miles crossed a creek with water holes. At five miles crossed another. At seven miles came close to a high hill--ascended it; at the foot it is composed of a hard slaty stone covered with a cake of iron; about the middle is quartz, and on the top conglomerated quartz. The view from south-west to north-west is extensive, but this not being the highest hill, the rest is hidden. To the west is a high hill, bluff at both ends, seemingly the last hill of the range; its course apparently north-west and south-east. At this bluff hill the range seems to cease, or drops into lower hills. A branch of the river lies between it and me, but there are still a number of stony hills before I can reach it. To the north-west and north there are high and stony hills. The river now seems to run to the west, on a bearing of 30 degrees north of west. From twenty to twenty-five miles distant is another range, at the foot of which there is a blue stripe, apparently water, which I suppose to be the main stream of the Adelaide. Descended, as the country is too rough and stony to continue either to the north or north-west. I changed to 3 degrees north of west, crossed some stony hills and broad valleys with splendid alluvial soil, the hills grassed to the top. On that course struck the branch of the river. Still very thick with the same kind of timber already mentioned. Most of the bamboos are dead. I suppose the fire has been the cause of it. I again find it running to the north; I turn to that course. At three miles struck a large creek coming from the east with large sheets of water; had to run it up half a mile before I could get across it. Crossed it all right, and passed through a beautiful valley of green grass. After that, found that I was again on the stony rise, where every blade of grass had been burned off, and not knowing how far this may continue, I have turned off again for the creek, to give the horses the benefit of the valley. The timber is the same as yesterday in some places; the stringy-bark is much larger. The banks of the river, when we first came upon it to-day, were high and stony. The range to the east seems to cease about here. We are now crossing low undulations. I have seen a number of kangaroos to-day; they do not seem to be as large as those in the south. The valleys are composed of conglomerated ironstone underneath the soil. A large number of new birds seen to-day, some of them with splendid plumage. Wind, south-east. Latitude, 13 degrees 7 minutes 21 seconds.
