CHARACTER OF COUNTRY.
"The character of the country again changed, and for the next two miles and a half the plains were sandy, and covered with scrub. At the end of another mile we reached a river, about twenty-five yards wide; it was salt where we made it, and it was so shallow, that we soon found a place where, by jumping from rock to rock, we could cross it. This river discharged itself into a bay;* it ran rather from the South of East. [East of South?] Four miles further, South by East, were sandy plains, with scrub, etc."
(*Footnote. This was doubtless Champion Bay; but in our examination of the coast, we did not see anything of the bay or harbour which Captain Grey speaks of in his work (volume 2 page 35) about nine miles north of the Greenough, and which he supposed to be Champion Bay, "since denominated," he says, "Port Grey." According to the true latitude of Champion Bay, the bay in question would be in about 28 degrees 38 minutes South or nearly twenty-two miles north of the position assigned to Port Grey in Arrowsmith's map, before alluded to.)
Thus terminated our exploration of this part of the country, called, by Captain Grey, the Province of Victoria; and certainly all we had seen of it deserved the character of sterility, which in some measure it appears to retain further northward, as we learn from the report of Lieutenant Helpman, who has recently visited it in the colonial schooner Champion. We did not, on our route, fall in with any native, but on reaching the boat, found that a party of five men had approached the beach, and held friendly communication with Mr. Pasco, who, in exchange for a handkerchief or two, had obtained from them a hunger belt, composed of wallaby furs, a throwing stick, and a nose-piece of kangaroo bone. They were entirely naked, and slightly scarred, but were not smeared with the red pigment called wilgy, and had their hair knotted upon the crown of their head, like the natives of the neighbourhood of King's Sound.
SAIL FROM CHAMPION BAY.
On the morning of the 16th we were again on our way southwards, with, strange to say at that season of the year, westerly winds, which prevailed for the three succeeding days.
KOOMBANAH BAY.
After touching at Swan River (where, finding His Excellency the Governor still absent, an account of our cruise was left with the Surveyor-General) we reached Koombanah Bay on the 27th. Mr. Forsyth, whom I had sent overland, had completed the survey of this anchorage, and Leschenault Inlet, which it joins in the south corner by a narrow boat channel. The wreck of a large whale ship in the head of the bay shows the folly of attempting to ride out the winter gales to which it is exposed; but this may be remedied by a breakwater thrown out from Point Casuarina, of which nature has laid the foundation in the reef that extends out across the bay in the desired direction. The strong outset from the estuary during the rainy season materially lessens the strain upon the cables of ships caught there by a gale. The peculiarity in the formation of this neighbourhood consists in some basaltic columns on the coast close to Point Casuarina.
We devoted the 28th to making observations,* etc.; and I was surprised to find that this part of the coast was laid down four miles too much to the northward.
(*Footnote. These observations were made on the beach, midway between Point Casuarina and the mouth of the estuary, which spot they place in latitude 33 degrees 19 minutes 10 seconds South and longitude 0 degrees 7 minutes 00 seconds West of Swan River. From a sandhill, 190 feet high, bearing South 11 degrees West, six-tenths of a mile from that spot, I found that the highest part of the Darling Range, Mount William, bore North 40 degrees 6 minutes East thirty-three miles, and was in height 1720 feet; and that Mount Leonard, another excrescence on this range bore South 81 degrees 44 minutes East distant thirteen miles and seven-tenths, and was of an elevation of 1270 feet; whilst the summit of Cape Naturaliste bore South 65 degrees West and the visible extreme South 66 degrees 50 minutes West which confirmed the error I had before remarked in the position assigned it in the chart, being four miles too far north. All the above bearings are true. The rise of the tide, and the time of high-water, are the same as at Swan River.
ARRIVE AT SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
Daylight, on the 29th, found us outside Koombanah Bay, running to the westward before a light land breeze. From the offing, this part of the western shore of the continent was much more prepossessing than any we had before seen. The outline of the Darling Range, here approaching within fourteen miles of the sea, and broken only by Mount Leonard and the gorge of the Harvey, was sharply pencilled against the eastern sky that glowed with the pure light of morning; whilst the country between was clothed with trees of such magnitude that their verdant summits could be seen, over the coast sandhills, stretching away in one sea of foliage as far as the eye could reach.
The course we held led us within five miles of the north side of Naturaliste Reef,* in 29 fathoms; the depth we found sixteen miles west of it was 60 fathoms, and half a mile south of it 26 fathoms. It partakes of the error in latitude previously discovered in Cape Naturaliste, which is distant sixteen miles, and bears, when over the centre of it, South 2 1/2 degrees West (true).
(*Footnote. A circular patch of breakers half a mile in extent, with, according to report, six and nine feet water on it.)
Being desirous of confirming our meridian distances along the south coast, we visited for the purpose King George's Sound and South Australia, at which latter place we arrived on the morning of January 26th, 1842. Since our former visit, a change had taken place in the governorship of the colony; and though it was with great regret that we learnt Colonel Gawler had left for England, we were glad he had found a worthy successor in our brother explorer Captain Grey.
His Excellency and the merchants expressing a wish that the Beagle should visit the port, no man of war having yet done so; and being anxious myself to examine the capabilities of the place, as well as to complete our survey of twenty-three miles of the eastern shore of Spencer's Gulf, on the afternoon of the 29th the Beagle was running into Port Adelaide.* The ladies of the Governor, the Surveyor-General, and others, honoured us with their presence on the passage round.**
(*Footnote. Besides the light vessel off the bar at Port Adelaide, a flagstaff close to the southward at the pilot station serves to point out the entrance to strangers.)
(**Footnote. I have already given some account of this port; and here, therefore, I need do no more than refer the reader to the accompanying chart.)
PROPOSED RAILROAD.
It was the examination I made on this occasion of Colonel Gawler's excellent road between the port and Adelaide, which convinced me that a portion of it might easily be converted into a railroad, as there is sufficient width for a single line of rails without detracting from its present value. That such an undertaking would prove of great advantage to the colony there can be no doubt; and it is equally certain that it would be profitable to those engaged in it. The exports and imports of South Australia are, year by year, rapidly increasing; and now that its vast mineral resources have been discovered, and are in progress of development, no bounds can be set to its probable wealth and prosperity. A railroad would be sure to attract a large amount of traffic even at present. As, however, the Port of Adelaide only admits vessels of moderate draught, large ships must discharge part of their cargo outside, or at Holdfast Roads; between which place and Adelaide a railroad might also be carried without any difficulty, there being a complete level the whole way.
VISIT MOUNT BARKER.
Being desirous of seeing a little more of this fertile part of the continent, I left Adelaide accordingly, after sunset, on January 31st, for Mount Barker,* and before sunrise next day visited its summit, nearly 1700 feet high, in order, if possible, to obtain a view in the clear atmosphere of early morning of Lake Alexandrina, or Victoria, and the river Murray. In this, however, I was disappointed, the weather being hazy in that direction, so that nothing could be seen but the extensive scrub on the eastern side of the river, stretching away like a brown-coloured sea. Mount Barker, which may be recognised by a saddle-shaped hill to the south of it, lies about thirty miles South-East by East from Adelaide; the latter part of the road between is hilly; from its foot a strip of very rich land, about one mile wide and three long, extends to the south-west, in the direction of Willunga, on our way to which I noticed several similar blocks. Following the southerly course of the Finnis, at that time a dry rich flat, we entered a hilly picturesque country with deep fertile valleys. Tracks of wild cattle were numerous on the ridges, but we saw none, and were again disappointed by the haze that prevailed throughout the day, of a view of the surrounding country. In the evening we reached Willunga, distant thirty-five miles from Mount Barker; though sight-seeing had taken us, during the day, over fifty miles of country. This township is prettily situated at the western foot of the hills on a woodland slope, bordered by the waters of the Gulf, at a distance of about six miles.
(*Footnote. Named after the unfortunate Captain Barker by his friend Captain Sturt.)
ENCOUNTER BAY.
Our party was to have been here joined by Governor Grey, who, however, did not arrive till late next morning; when, after examining the slate quarries in the neighbourhood, where the cleavage and quality equalled any I have seen in Wales, we left for Encounter Bay, bearing nearly south-east. The first three miles of the road lay over stony ridges; and the next eighteen traversed the worst part of the province, a sandy, scrubby, slightly undulating country, about five hundred feet above the sea. We were glad to find ourselves descending from this wearisome sterile tract upon some rich flats at the head of the river Hindmarsh, named after the first governor of the colony. These we followed four miles in a South-South-East direction, where meeting the river, its tortuous course led to the southward for about five miles. Where it joins the sea, in the north-western corner of Encounter Bay, a township, also named Hindmarsh, had been laid out, which will, doubtless, be a pleasant summer residence, as we felt a great change in the temperature; indeed the evening was quite bleak, with a moderate breeze from seaward.
I was naturally much interested in this part of my journey, being anxious to see if the shelter here existing merited the name, given in the chart, of Victor Harbour; but the only protection, excepting for a small vessel in the north-west corner, and from northerly and westerly winds, is under a little island, where it is possible one or two vessels may lie. From Hindmarsh I saw the entrance of Lake Alexandrina, among some sandhills at the entrance of which Captain Barker was murdered by the natives; a circumstance which gave rise to the name of Encounter Bay, and attached a melancholy interest to the spot.
NATIVE MODE OF FISHING.
Here for the first time, I met a Murray River native among a party of others. He was certainly the finest Australian in make I had ever seen, being robust and stout, like a South Sea Islander. A German Missionary, who had a native school at Hindmarsh, took us to see a curious method of catching fish resorted to at this place, which, as it has not been noticed by Mr. Eyre, I shall describe. A party of natives, each provided with a large square piece of net, rolled up, with a stick at either end, swam out to a certain distance from shore, and spread themselves into a semicircle. Every man then relinquished one of the sticks round which his piece of net was rolled, to his right-hand neighbour, and received another from his left; when, bringing the two together, a great seine was formed. They now swam in, followed by other natives, who, by throwing stones and splashing the water, frightened the fish, and prevented them from getting out.
VISIT RAPID BAY.
Leaving Encounter Bay, we for some distance followed the left bank of the Inman, when the road turned off to the westward. The country was good in patches, till we made a cattle-station of Mr. Hacks, near Yankalilla Bay; when, instead of a succession of forested hills and dales, we passed over extensive treeless downs, contrasting strikingly in appearance with the woody country around. Here we pitched our tents for the night: and next morning were deprived of the company of His Excellency, who was obliged to return to Adelaide; whilst Messrs. Macfarlane, Burr, and myself, who were mounted from the station, went to Rapid Bay, lying about fifteen miles South-West by West. As there was some difficulty in catching the horses, it was 10 A.M. before we got away. I was by no means pleased with my mount; I had suspected that all was not right by an exchange of looks, I caught the overseer and stockman indulging in, as I threw my leg over as ugly a hammer-headed, standing-over brute as ever man crossed; but with the aid of a severe bit and a sharp pair of spurs I kept him alive, and he only came down twice during the journey, which, although over a very hilly country, was performed in four hours. After taking some refreshment, we started at 4 P.M. for Adelaide, distant nearly sixty miles.
MOUNT TERRIBLE.
We crossed the Myponga; and led our horses down a winding path on the almost precipitous side of Mount Terrible, well worthy its name, just as the sun was shedding his last rays over the waters of the Gulf, that stretched away westward, apparently, from our feet; the white sails of a coaster here and there dotting the blue expanse. Hitherto the road had been over a succession of hills and dales, with occasionally a patch of pretty scenery; but from the foot of Mount Terrible a level, lightly-timbered piece of country extended to the Unkaparinga, which we crossed, passing through the township of Noarlinga, on its north bank.
After stopping to bait the horses, we continued our ride; but it was now so very dark that I lost all the beauty of this part of the country, and from the undulations in the road I could easily imagine that many a pretty glen was veiled from us by the darkness. Getting off the track, we became entangled among some high five-railed fences, from which we were extricated by the sagacity of my horse, belonging to the mounted police; on being given his head, he soon brought us back upon the road to Adelaide, where we arrived about midnight, having ridden, since 10 A.M., nearly ninety miles. We had scarcely reached the town before a hot wind set in, which lasted forty-eight hours, when a squall from seaward relieved the gasping inhabitants: at one time the thermometer at the public offices was 158 degrees.
SAIL FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
We sailed from South Australia on February 7th, but it was not until the forenoon of the 9th that we cleared Backstairs Passage, passing half a mile from the reef fronting the east end of Kangaroo Island, in 16 fathoms; the south-eastern part of this island is a steep rocky shore, with few sinuosities. Southerly winds brought us in sight of the land at daylight on the 11th. The most remarkable features were Mounts Gambier and Schanck; the summit of the latter, the least conspicuous, is flat, with a hollow in the centre. According to my observations, it is in longitude 10 degrees 29 minutes West of Sydney. The ship's position, just before dark, was ten miles North 65 degrees West from Cape Bridgewater, which is a hummocky cliff-faced point of land, separated from the main by a low neck.
ARRIVE AT PORTLAND BAY.
February 12.
Finding ourselves still off this part of the coast, which was laid down three miles too much to the northward, I resolved, for the better means of determining this fact by observations on shore, to go to the nearest anchorage, Portland Bay, where we arrived in the evening. I had another object in visiting this place, namely, that of helping to determine the 141st meridian, which had been fixed on as the western boundary of the colony of New South Wales.
The approach to this anchorage is remarkable, and cannot escape the memory of anyone who has seen it; for the information of those who have not, I give a woodcut.*
(*Footnote. Lawrence Isles lie off the point forming the south side of Portland Bay.)
APPROACH TO PORTLAND BAY.Cape Nelson, Cape Grant, Lawrence Isles East-North-East nine miles.
APPROACH TO PORTLAND BAY.Cape Nelson, Cape Grant, Lawrence Isles East-North-East nine miles.
APPROACH TO PORTLAND BAY.Cape Nelson, Cape Grant, Lawrence Isles East-North-East nine miles.
Our anchorage was in 7 fathoms, midway between the bluff on either side of the settlement, which we were surprised to find had already assumed the appearance of a town, lying in the western corner of the bay, on a sloping grassy bank.
Here I met Mr. C.J. Tyers, government surveyor, who had laid out the township of Portland. As he had also made an accurate survey of the Bay, little remained for us except to test its qualities, which the prevalence of easterly winds gave us an opportunity of doing. They at first caused a little anxiety, as the anchorage was exposed in this quarter; but this feeling rapidly subsided on our discovering the excellence of the holding ground--mud with a coating of sand, out of which we had some difficulty in weighing our anchors.
NEW SOUTH WALES BOUNDARY. SQUATTERS.
At Portland I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Mr. Stephen Henty,* the leader of an enterprising family who had been the hardy pioneers of civilization, in discovering and laying open the fertile districts of this part of the continent, and under whose fostering care Portland has risen from a mere whaling station to its present prosperity. Such being the case, it is with regret that I am obliged to say that Mr. Henty received no consideration from Government when the land was put up for sale, being obliged to bid against the public for ground he had brought under notice, and spent years of labour in getting into cultivation.**
(*Footnote. My observations refer to this gentleman's new house, which they place in latitude 38 degrees 20 minutes 45 seconds South and longitude 9 degrees 36 minutes 22 seconds West of Sydney, by satisfactory meridian distances to the latter place, and from South Australia. Preferring Mr. Tyers' difference of longitude by triangulation to the east entrance point of the Glenelg River, 37 minutes 29 seconds, which is 1 minute 27 seconds more than his chronometric measurement; the mouth of the Glenelg will be 10 degrees 13 minutes 51 seconds West of Sydney. By Mr. Tyers' triangulation, calculated by Captain Owen Stanley from Port Phillip, Batman's Hill, with my longitude of the latter 6 degrees 16 minutes 17 seconds West of Sydney, the Glenelg is West of Sydney 10 degrees 14 minutes 02 seconds, which is 57 seconds less than Mr. Tyers' calculation. The longitude of Sydney, by different observers, ranges between 151 degrees 12 minutes 0 seconds and 151 degrees 17 minutes 0 seconds; but, as I myself believe 151 degrees 16 minutes to be within a minute of the truth, the Glenelg will, accordingly, by my observations be in 141 degrees 02 minutes 09 seconds East and therefore within the New South Wales territory, the limit of which it had been supposed to mark. If the 141st degree had been selected as the boundary of the colony, with reference to the longitude of Sydney, there would not be much difficulty attending its determination.)
(**Footnote. The squatter, who often at great risk locates himself in a remote spot, and renders such essential service to the mother country by finding new lands, yea new homes, for the surplus population, merits much greater encouragement than he receives, particularly in instances similar to that of Mr. Henty, whose station at Portland was, for years, hundreds of miles removed from other occupied parts. This gentleman's case makes it clear at once that something ought to be done for the squatter. His comfortable house and garden he was obliged to leave to make room for a street of the new township; but this would not have been very hard had he been given an allotment in lieu; which, however, as I have stated, was not done; and he was compelled to witness the labour of his hands entirely swept away, and found himself, after years of toil, placed exactly in the same position with those who came to enjoy the fruits of his enterprise.
But the greatest hardship sustained by the squatter is the Special Survey system, according to which, anyone desirous to become a purchaser to the extent of twenty thousand acres may choose his land where he pleases. A party clubs together and finds out spots, that have been improved by squatters, with a view of purchasing them when able; many of these are often included in one special survey block: and even if the squatter is able to purchase the rich and hardly-won small patch he occupies, the special survey party, generally a knot of jobbers, have the preference. This is apparently for the benefit of the crown, twenty thousand pounds being thus added to the revenue under the pound per acre system; but it is certainly not advantageous to the country, as the large purchasers seldom buy for occupation, but for sale; and the smallholder, the squatter, is driven from the land in distress. I have seen instances of persons being utterly ruined in this way. My own opinion is, that the squatter ought to be allowed to purchase the land he occupies by private contract from government; or that an allowance should be made him, equivalent to his improvements.)
The detention we had experienced afforded me an opportunity of visiting the country; and having just seen between two and three hundred miles of the Province of South Australia, I was glad of the chance of comparing these two parts of the continent. Accordingly, after making a series of magnetical observations, and others for the errors of the chronometers, I left Portland one morning in company with Mr. Tyers. Taking Mr. Henty's road to the northward we soon passed the rich land surrounding Portland, and entered a stringybark forest, eight miles in extent. Then crossing a heathy tract we came to the Fitzroy, distant fifteen miles from Portland. Here, as elsewhere, the presence of water improves the soil, for along the banks of the river there was some good land. This was also the case near a hill just beyond it, called Mount Eckersley. where I saw Sir Thomas Mitchell's initials cut in a tree at the time when he explored this country, and found to his surprise that Mr. Henty had a station in Portland Bay.
EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR.
With the exception of the flats near the Crawford, twenty miles from the Fitzroy, the road lies through a poor country, until it approaches Mr. J. Henty's station, fifteen miles further. Here we appeared to have turned our backs on the bad land; and entered a tract of country in which the herbage is so excellent that an acre is capable of feeding one sheep, whereas in other parts three or four are required.
From a pointed hill, called the Sugarloaf, fifty-eight miles from Portland, I had an extensive view of this fertile district: the outlines of those magnificent mountains, the Victoria and Grampian ranges, that completed the distant part of the landscape, to the eastward, were distinctly defined against the clear morning sky; whilst, in the foreground, grassy round-topped hills, rose on either side of wide valleys sparingly dotted with trees, marking the course of the streams that meander through them, and the margin of the singular circular waterholes, with sides so steep as to render it necessary to cut through them to enable the cattle to drink, that were distributed around as if formed by art, rather than by nature. Westward, I saw the winding course of the Glenelg, and was told that some of the squatters had located themselves on its banks, and that others were even talking of stations (which they have since made) as far as the volcanic mountains, Schanck and Gambier, where there is some rich country, recently visited from Adelaide, by Governor Grey, who has discovered that the barrier of desert between New South Wales and South Australia, is less marked than was supposed; there being patches of good land intervening, so that at no very distant day, we may hope to see the whole of the coast, from Port Phillip to Spencer's Gulf, supporting a scattered white population.
I noticed that there was a vast superiority in the soil on the north-west side of the hills; but saw none equal in richness to the five-mile patch at Mount Eckersley.
The steep sides of a part of the valley of the Wannon, however, a few miles to the eastward of the Sugarloaf, are very fertile, and being clothed with patches of woodland, form extremely pretty scenery. The rocks of this part of the country are chiefly trappean; in the immediate neighbourhood of Portland, they consist of limestone, ferruginous sandstone, and trap.
CAPE BRIDGEWATER.
After having extended our ride to above seventy miles, we returned, having satisfied ourselves, from what we had seen and heard, that there was a greater extent of good land here, than at South Australia; though it was more scattered, and farther from the sea. On our way, we met a party of natives; and seeing a bundle of spears leaning against a tree, I rode up to examine them, but the owner instantly ran and seized them, in a manner that confirmed the report I had before heard, to the effect, that the settlers and the aborigines of this part, either through the mismanagement of the one, or the evil disposition of the other, are not on very good terms.
February 17.
I went this day to Cape Bridgewater, to make a sketch of the coast, and visit some caves lying four miles north of it. These we found to be from forty to fifty feet high, and of the same depth; the ceilings were encrusted with stalactites and the mouths overlooked some pretty freshwater lakes, three miles in extent separated from the sea by a narrow chain of sandhills; upon these were a few swans, and a black and white kind of goose, one of which Mr. Bynoe shot; it resembled the species we had seen flying over the Albert in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
ARRIVE AT HOBART.
February 20.
A slight cessation of the easterly wind allowed us to leave Portland Bay in the morning; but scarcely had we got outside, when it blew strong again from the same quarter: accordingly, it being highly desirable that I should consult with His Excellency, Sir John Franklin, before we commenced the survey of Bass Strait, we proceeded direct to Hobart, where we arrived on the 26th. The latitude of the south-west cape was determined on the passage to be 42 degrees 35 minutes South: and a running survey was made of the south coast of Tasmania.
Our stay in the Derwent, during which land and seabreezes prevailed, afforded me an opportunity of comparing our compasses at the magnetic observatory, established since our last visit by the Antarctic expedition, and left in charge of Lieutenant Key and Messrs. Dayman and Scott, officers belonging to it. This place His Excellency, who took part in the observations made there, named after the leader of the expedition, Ross Bank Observatory: I found it to be 20 seconds west, and 1 minute 10 seconds, north of the Beagle's observation spot in Fort Mulgrave.
Sir John Franklin, who has always taken great interest in the Beagle's voyage, testified every wish to afford me assistance: and in the most liberal manner placed at my disposal the colonial cutter, Vansittart, to assist in the survey of the Strait. Messrs. Forsyth and Pascoe were selected for the service, the former being in command. After giving the Vansittart a slight refit, and a few alterations which were expedited in a most praiseworthy manner by Captain Booth, commandant at Port Arthur, she was to proceed to the scene of operations near Banks Strait. In the meantime the Beagle sailed for Sydney to receive the stores we expected from England.
ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES.
March 10.
This was our second day from the Derwent; but owing to the prevalence of North-East winds we had not made further progress than to be at noon, thirty miles east from Cape Pillar. The atmospheric changes during this day were curious. The morning broke hazy, with a moderate breeze from North-North-East, which gradually subsiding and veering at the same time to East-South-East, left us becalmed for three or four hours; thick impenetrable fogs meanwhile passed at intervals to the South-West; and whenever this obstruction to our vision was removed, could be seen a dark heap of clouds collecting, some of which detaching themselves passed rapidly over our heads. About three P.M. there was the sighing of a breeze from that quarter. The barometer, also, at this time, ceased falling and stood at 29.57, being as much as two-tenths lower than what it was an hour before, and having fallen since eight A.M. four-tenths.
The rapid depression of the mercury was quite perceptible to the eye. Under reduced sail the ship, like the petrel with closed wing, waited the coming blast. A dense fog enveloped us; but an hour after the barometer had ceased falling, it lifted up and revealed a long sheet of hissing foam crowning the troubled waters that were rolling, urged by the tempest, tumultuously towards us from the south-west.
RETURN TO SYDNEY.
For a while the heavy reduced canvas still flapped with a lazy swag against the masts; but suddenly it was filled by a violent gust; and the Beagle was hurried swiftly onwards, careering over the waves like the misty spectre in a storm. Two hours after (six P.M.) the barometer had risen a tenth. We now expected our passage to Sydney to be short: but the ill luck of foul winds again attending us, it was the fifteenth before we arrived.
Exploration of Interior.Twofold Bay.Survey of Bass Strait.Dangerous situation of the Beagle.Kent and Hogan Groups.Gipps Land.Wilson's Promontory.The Tamar.Eastern entrance of Strait.Steam communication between India and Australia.New Guinea.Straitsmen.North coast of Tasmania.Aborigines.Port Phillip.Directions for ships passing King Island.Complete survey of Bass Strait.Farewell to Sydney.Moreton Bay.The Comet.State of Tasmania, or Van Diemen's Land.Lighthouses in Bass Strait.
EXPLORATION OF INTERIOR.
The most interesting topic of conversation on our arrival at Sydney was the projected expedition into the interior. Two candidates for this important and deeply interesting undertaking had presented themselves--Mr. E.J. Eyre and Sir Thomas Mitchell, both experienced Australian explorers. The latter proposed to start from Fort Bourke on the Darling; and the former from Moreton Bay. In my own humble opinion, strengthened by recent experience, neither of these are practicable routes;* or at any rate, they are not the best that could be selected. The centre of the continent must be reached by the shortest possible journey; it being advisable to avoid the despondency that seizes on a party during a protracted expedition, and to keep up throughout a certain degree of excitement. As, therefore, the greatest indentation on the shores of the continent is the Gulf of Carpentaria, the head of the Albert River, which discharges its waters into the bottom of it, is unquestionably the best point of departure that could be selected, being one-half the distance of Fort Bourke from the centre, and two-thirds nearer than Moreton Bay.
(*Footnote. Whilst this sheet was going through the press, the report of our greatest Australian traveller, Captain Sturt, reached England; wherein he writes, speaking of his furthest (February 1845) in latitude 28 degrees South and longitude about 141 degrees 22 minutes East having apparently entered the central desert, as follows: "I could see no change in the terrible desert to which I had penetrated. The horizon was unbroken by a single mound, from north round to north again, and it was as level as that of the ocean. My view to the north extended about eight miles, but I did not venture to compass that distance, only perhaps to have overlooked a similar heart-rending and desolate scene." This bears out the opinion expressed in the text. I do not hesitate, however, in the face of the interesting evidence brought forward by Captain Sturt, still to doubt the existence of an inland sea. I think the high temperature he experienced contradicts such an hypothesis; and I believe the large expanse of water, reported by the natives, to be the Gulf of Carpentaria, which bore about north (true) six hundred miles from his position, Moreton Bay being nearly equidistant on an east bearing, whilst Adelaide bore South by West 1/2 West about four hundred and thirty miles.
SUGGESTED ROUTE.
I have before recommended the use of camels, with skins for carrying water, in an undertaking of this kind; and I may here add, that they might be procured in the neighbourhood of the Gulf of Cutch,* which place the vessel should leave in the North-East monsoon, in time to have the latter end of the North-West monsoon to take her to the Gulf of Carpentaria, where at Sweers Island the final arrangements for disembarking, before alluded to,** could be made.
(*Footnote. Camels are to be procured in this neighbourhood, when they are not required for war service, for about five pounds a head. Besides, the natives of that part are more easily to be obtained as attendants than Arabs.
(*Footnote. See above.)
In a country like Australia, with so varied a surface, it is certainly impossible to indicate with confidence anything beyond the point of departure for an exploring party. Their direction must, of course, depend on the country they find; but I think it may be said from the most recent, and I much fear melancholy, experience, that the routes from neither Moreton Bay nor Fort Bourke are practicable. That from the head of the Albert is, I believe, much superior, and I consider, after mature deliberation, that the plan I have recommended is at once the most expeditious and the most economical way of solving a question of daily increasing interest, and of removing an imputation on English enterprise which is daily becoming more serious.
The other routes of exploration which appear to me both practicable and useful are from Halifax Bay to the Albert,* a distance of above four hundred miles, and from Limmens Bight to the Victoria, about three hundred. These will be found marked in the chart accompanying this work.
(*Footnote. This route I suggested to his Excellency Sir George Gipps, in March, 1842.)
TWOFOLD BAY.
After leaving Sydney we had a succession of south-easterly gales, of three or four days' duration, and equal in severity to any we had experienced since leaving England. To avoid one from the westward we put into Twofold Bay;* a remarkable high-peaked hill, Mount Imlay, lying behind the head of it, bearing South-West 1/2 West, leads in.
(*Footnote. This we found to be a very convenient anchorage; and the constant resort of coasters. From its proximity to the southern parts of the Manero country, it is likely to become a very thriving place, under the auspices of Mr. Boyd, who is erecting a town there. This gentleman, I am happy to say, employs the natives as part of the crew of his yacht; they are also constantly engaged in the boats of the whaling station, where their excellent eye renders them extremely useful in seeing and harpooning the fish; and being particularly well-disposed, they might he made something of.)
I was surprised to find by my observations* here that this part of the coast is laid down ten miles too much to the eastward of Sydney, an error I subsequently found to be continued to Jervis Bay; so that the course from thence to Sydney, instead of being, according to the chart, North 1/4 East magnetic is North by East, a fact that should be borne in mind by masters of vessels, until this part of the coast is properly surveyed.
(*Footnote. Which placed Point Brierly in latitude 37 degrees 6 minutes 40 seconds South, longitude 1 degree 18 minutes 18 seconds west of Sydney; or 149 degrees 57 minutes 42 seconds east of Greenwich, according to what I consider the meridian of Sydney.)
The error I found in the position of Twofold Bay induced me to commence our survey there, for the purpose of ascertaining the position of Cape Howe," which I discovered to be rather more out in longitude; while the islet, instead of lying off it, lies four miles to the south-west.
(*Footnote. This Cape, in latitude 38 degrees 31 minutes 00 seconds South and longitude 1 degree 14 minutes 15 seconds West of Sydney, although rather low, is of bold approach, and admirably situated for a lighthouse. Others erected on Montague Island and Point Perpendicular, would light the whole coast as far as Sydney.)
FLINDERS ISLAND.
Leaving, we again spent several days under a close-reefed main-topsail and a reefed fore-sail; but at length reached an anchorage on the eastern shore of Flinders Island within the north-east side of a granitic lump called Babel Islet. The flood tide came from the north-east at this anchorage, which can only be used in easterly winds. There is a curious dome on the inner side of Babel, which is connected by a sandy spit with the large island. Within the eastern point of the latter are the remarkable pyramidal hills, called the Patriarchs, rising out of a scrubby plain, much cut up with lagoons, which forms the character of this side of Flinders. We were enabled to fix the eastern shore of the island, from Babel Islet and the outer Patriarch, whence the view was commanding. A range of bare-topped hills lies to the west, whilst to the south-west, through a mass of clouds, we occasionally caught glimpses of some high peaks, which I named after my friend Count Strzelecki. A heathy valley stretches across the island to the westward, through which I saw the sea on the opposite side; on the northern part the hills are more rounded and lower.
TO KENT GROUP.
From Babel Islet we proceeded towards Kent Group, passing, in 11 or 12 fathoms, along the eastern shore of Flinders Island, where we discovered a dangerous sandy spit extending five miles off; from its extreme the eastern part of the outer Sister bore North 64 degrees West, six miles and a half. After rounding the latter the wind changed in a violent squall to the westward, and gave us a long beat of a day to reach Kent Group, during which we discovered a reef,* just awash at high-water, and bearing East 8 degrees South, five miles and a half from Wright's Rock.**
(*Footnote. Beagle's Reef.)
(**Footnote. A pyramidal lump, three hundred feet high, resembling a cutter under sail.)
This, Endeavour Reef, and a sunken rock, about a mile east of Craggy Island, constitute the chief dangers between Kent Group and Flinders. The extremes are marked to the north and south by Wright's Rock and Craggy Island, between which ships should not pass, although there is a channel close to the south side of the former. It should also be particularly borne in mind that the tides, which here sometimes run two knots, set rather across the channel South-West by South and North-East by North. The north-easterly stream beginning a quarter before noon at the full and change of the moon.
DANGEROUS SITUATION
The Beagle passed half a mile from the north-west side of Wright's Rock, in 29 fathoms, in the evening; and having spent the night standing to-and-fro between it and Kent Group, in the morning was abreast of the opening between the islands called Murray Pass, when we steered towards it. The weather, for the season, was fine; and the sun, although weak, shone brightly from a clear wintry sky--it well-nigh happened for the last time--upon the poor old Beagle!
DANGEROUS SITUATION OF BEAGLE.A.J. Mason Sc.
DANGEROUS SITUATION OF BEAGLE.A.J. Mason Sc.
DANGEROUS SITUATION OF BEAGLE.A.J. Mason Sc.
The sea, still vexed and chafing from the breeze of yesterday, rolled in with solemn grandeur on the storm-beaten sides of the islands; each heaving swell carrying the ship nearer towards the almost fatal opening. Her motions, however, as if she was conscious of the fate that threatened her, were sluggish and slow, and she seemed unwillingly to obey the impulse of the light southerly breeze that aided her progress. Indeed there appeared to be an opposing tide until we drew in between the high rocky sides of the channel, when suddenly the ship was hurried onwards with such rapidity that to prevent our being swept past a cove on the right it was necessary to close with its outer point, towards which a merciless eddy flung the ship's head so rapidly, that before the thrown-aback sails checked her way, her jib-boom was almost over the rocks.* During the few awful moments that succeeded, a breathless silence prevailed; and naught was heard but the din of waters that foamed in fury around, as if impatient to engulf us in their giddy whirl. Still, it must be confessed, that our hearts sickened within at the thought that our little bark, after having braved so many storms, and done so much good service to the state, might be left to whiten a foreign shore with her timbers. Providence, however, decreed it should be otherwise; and the next moment the Beagle's head was slowly paying off from the shore. But her broadside becoming exposed to the swell, she was again driven in towards the point, and so close, that before the well-trimmed sails gave her way, as her stern went down with the swell, the assurance that she must strike, pervaded every shuddering frame. To myself, the sensation was just as if my feet were under the keel; and I almost expected to feel the bones crushing. Still we clung to hope, which can find a place even in the narrowest interval of danger; and our eyes and hearts were lifted up in supplication to Him who had already so miraculously reprieved us. Scarcely, however, had the prayer been formed and preferred, when the peril was past: in the course of an hour we were safely moored in East Cove, Kent Group.
(*Footnote. See the view annexed.)
LIGHTHOUSE HILL.
In this wild and confined anchorage we were detained by constant westerly gales for a fortnight, during the whole of which there was only one really clear day, when I got angles to all the distant points from a hill near the south-east extreme of the group, nine hundred and ten feet high and quite precipitous on its seaward face. We named it Lighthouse Hill, its admirably conspicuous situation suggesting the purpose to which it might be devoted; the materials for building, moreover, are all at hand.
DEAL ISLAND.
The principal islands of Kent Group have been named Deal and Erith; they occupy a square of four miles, and are separated by Murray Pass, a channel half a mile wide. Conical granitic hills, in some cases clothed to their very summits with an impervious scrub, are scattered over them. On Deal, the eastern isle, there are charred stumps of a few large eucalypti: but otherwise the trees are small, the largest being a few casuarinas over the head of East Cove. The valleys on the north side are rich; and in one leading from Garden Cove we found a quantity of fine carrots, planted by some sealers; their seed had been carried by the wind until the whole valley was filled with them; fresh water also is abundant on that side of Deal Island; and as limestone crops out at the head of East Cove, a small party of convicts might be kept here and advantageously employed in erecting the lighthouse and cultivating the soil. By holding out to them a slight reward, many of the islands in Bass Strait might be brought under cultivation, and supply grain, potatoes, etc., for the consumption of the prisoners in Tasmania. This plan of dispersing the convicts would also be beneficial in producing a change for the better in themselves; for whilst together they are certainly more likely to brood mischief.
ERITH ISLAND.
Besides East Cove there are others on the north-east and south-east sides of Deal Island; whilst on Erith there is only one called West Cove, in the north part of Murray Pass; it is subject to violent gusts that do not reach East Cove.
The formation of this group is a little singular, the calcareous limestone on Deal occurring two hundred feet above the sea and between granite; whilst on Erith vesicular lava was found. These islands are connected with Flinders by a sand ridge, on which the depth is 28 and 30 fathoms; but the islets and rocks between would appear, from the evidence of upheaval we have just cited, to be elevated portions of a submerged piece of land about to disclose itself.*
(*Footnote. The observations on the tides at these islands make the time of high-water on the full and change of the moon a quarter past eleven, when it rises eight feet. The stream in Murray Pass, which runs from two to five knots, changes to the northward twenty minutes after high-water.)
In a valley behind East Cove there was a stream of water, which strange to say was quite salt and came from the middle of the island. In the same neighbourhood I turned loose about a dozen rabbits for the benefit of any unfortunate voyagers who might be thrown hungry ashore in this locality. During the few days that we were there they appeared to thrive very well, and I have no doubt that if not disturbed the island will soon be overrun with them, there being no wallabies to offer molestation.
HOGAN GROUP.
We were not sorry to find ourselves one fine morning turning our backs on the scene of one of the Beagle's many narrow escapes; so favourable did the weather continue, that, although in the first week in June, we were able to pass both the following nights at anchor in the middle of the strait;* on the first occasion between the Devil's Tower and Curtis's Island;** and on the second, five miles to the southward of Hogan Group.