Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia Volume I Part 15

The country behind the beach was lined with natives' fires which were kindled as we pa.s.sed to attract our notice. To the southward of Smoky Cape the land is very low and probably occupied by large lagoons.

May 22.

The next evening Mount Warning was seen from the deck although we were at least seventy-eight miles from it.

May 23.

On the 23rd at noon our lat.i.tude was 28 degrees 9 minutes 5 seconds, when the Mount bore South 58 degrees West (Magnetic). At sunset the wind died away; and, from the land in the vicinity of the mountain indicating every appearance of the existence of either a large sheet of water or an opening of consequence, I was induced to remain two days to examine the beach more narrowly; but, after beating about with a strong south-easterly current which prevented my tracing the beach to the northward of the Mount, and having only seen an inconsiderable opening that communicates by a shoal channel with a small lagoon at the back of the beach, I gave up the search; still without satisfying myself of the non-existence of an inlet, which, if there be one, probably communicates with the sea nearer to Point Danger.*

(*Footnote. Lieutenant Oxley has since (1823) discovered this to be the case, for he found a stream emptying itself into the sea, by a bar harbour close to Point Danger. Lieutenant Oxley called it the Tweed.)

Mount Warning is the summit of a range of hills which is either distinct from others near it or separated from them by deep ravines. It is very high and may be seen twenty-eight leagues from a ship's deck.

West-North-West from it is a much higher range but, having a more regular outline than the mount, is not of so conspicuous a character. Several detached ranges of hills lie between Mount Warning and the beach; they are thickly covered with timber, amongst which was a pine, supposed to be the same that Captain Flinders found growing on Entrance Island in Port Bowen, which is 6 1/2 degrees more to the northward.* Mount Warning is on the same parallel as Norfolk Island, where the Araucaria excelsa grows in remarkable luxuriance and beauty and attains a very large size; if this be the same tree, it is of very stunted growth.**

(*Footnote. Flinders volume 2 page 36.)

(**Footnote. Lieutenant Oxley, in his late expedition to Moreton Bay (1823), found reason to doubt whether the pine that he found in the Brisbane River was the Araucaria excelsa of Norfolk Island.)

The country in the vicinity of Mount Warning appears to be productive and wooded; for although the hills are steep and rather precipitous, yet their verdant and agreeable appearance augurs favourably for the fertility of the valleys between them.

May 25.

Light winds r.e.t.a.r.ded our progress along the coast until the evening of the 25th, when the wind freshened up from the westward, and by the following sunset we were abreast of Cape Moreton.

May 27.

The following morning part of the sandy peninsula was in sight.

May 28.

But we did not pa.s.s round Breaksea Spit until the next day. We then steered across Hervey's Bay towards Bustard Bay and pa.s.sed a small island that was discovered by the ship Lady Elliot in 1816 and that had not yet a place upon the chart of this part of the coast.

(*Footnote. See Appendix A Part 2.)

May 29.

The next day at noon we were off Bustard Bay and pa.s.sed half a mile without the dry rock which lies off its north end.

The course was now directed for Gatcombe Head of Port Curtis, whither it had become necessary to proceed, to repair some little damage that we had met with during the preceding night; as we proceeded a shoal opening presented itself round the north head of Bustard Bay, probably communicating with the inundated lands at the back: here the coast is lined with rocky hills, on which we saw no timber but what was stunted.

The trending in of the land round the next point led us to the discovery of a considerable inlet which had escaped Captain Flinders' observation.

On hauling round the point and steering towards what had at first the appearance of being the princ.i.p.al opening, another presented itself to the eastward, divided from the first by a projecting point (Middle Head); which appeared to be well furnished with gra.s.s and trees, and was as picturesque as it was prominent.

As this latter opening appeared to be more considerable than that which trends round the west side of Middle Head and had at first occupied our attention, we proceeded to examine it; and without difficulty found the channel, with good and well-sheltered anchorage within the entrance. In working in, the cutter took the ground on the south side of the port, but was got off again without suffering any damage.

May 30.

In the morning we landed and ascended a hill on the west side of the bay, whence we had an extensive prospect; but it did not impress us with any better opinion of the utility or merits of the bay than that it would afford shelter to moderate-sized vessels. It is a large sheet of water, full of shoals, and probably communicates with the sea by a small opening near the point next to the northward of Bustard Bay; the dry rock off which was distinctly seen over the land. There was also an appearance of its communicating with the swamps at the head of Bustard Bay; but in that direction the trees prevented my ascertaining it with certainty: the opening to the westward of Middle Head appeared to trend to the South-West through a low marsh; and to the southward and south-eastward the face of the country is irregular and mountainous. The hills which surround the bay are rocky; and although they are not deficient in wood and gra.s.s the soil is very shallow; and the trees, princ.i.p.ally of eucalyptus, are of stunted growth.

1819. June 1.

Thick and rainy weather prevented our leaving this port, which was named Rodd's Bay, until the 1st of June. At four o'clock in the afternoon we hauled round Cape Capricorn and at dark anch.o.r.ed on the bank between that projection and Cape Keppel.

June 2.

The next morning we resumed our course to the northward and pa.s.sed inside of Hummock Island and between Keppel's great Island and the First Lump.

As we pa.s.sed Port Bowen we were near enough to the sh.o.r.e to observe the anchorage under Entrance Island. In the evening we anch.o.r.ed about one mile from the Pine Islets in the mouth of the opening round Island Head, in four and three quarters fathoms, fine sand.

June 3.

At daylight the next morning we were steering a course for the Percy Islands; on our way to which we pa.s.sed three or four miles to the eastward of the 3rd Northumberland Island, which is a steep rock crowned with pine-trees.

At eleven o'clock we were half a mile from a low rock that has not hitherto been noticed in the charts: it lies five miles North 15 degrees East from the 3rd island; and being very low is dangerous for vessels pa.s.sing near it in the night; but with the 3rd island in sight it may be easily avoided.

Steering on we pa.s.sed inside the rock that lies off the west end of the Percy Island, Number 1; and anch.o.r.ed in its westernmost sandy bay, to the westward of the small Pine Islet, at about a quarter of a mile from the sh.o.r.e, in two and a half fathoms. The bank being very steep, the anchorage was not considered secure; but as the wind blew off the land and the weather was fine I was reconciled to remain. Upon examining the beach it was found that our water might be very conveniently completed at a stream which ran over its east end. I therefore determined upon taking this opportunity of filling our casks, as well as of repairing our small whale-boat; whilst the sailmaker was employed in altering a tent, and a part of our crew in cutting wood.

The birthday of our late venerable and good king was pa.s.sed at this island.

June 5.

And the following morning (5th), our tasks being completed, we left the bay.

This island having been already described by Captain Flinders, little is left for me to say. The hills are intersected by numerous gullies and are consequently supplied with streams: but the most convenient watering-place for ships is the one we used, except during a northerly or a westerly wind, when the practicability of landing on any part of the north side of this island is very questionable; for the task was difficult even with the wind blowing off the sh.o.r.e. Tracks of natives, but not of recent date, were noticed. In our walks over the hills we saw abundance of quails but no animals were observed; very few sea-birds frequented the beaches perhaps on account of the contiguity of the barrier reefs, upon which they can much more plentifully procure their food.

On the hills, which are very rocky, the gra.s.s grew luxuriantly, although the soil is shallow and poor; but in the gullies Mr. Cunningham found some good loamy ground, in which he sowed a few peach-stones, which would doubtless thrive, were it not for the fires of the natives.

We saw very few pine-trees that exceeded forty feet in height, and the cones were not yet formed. Mr. Cunningham remarked a great similarity between the botanical productions of this part and of the north coast, although there is a difference in lat.i.tude of ten degrees.

After weighing, the wind, which was at South-West, gradually died away.

During the evening we pa.s.sed Beverly Group (the Five Island cl.u.s.ter of Captain Flinders) and at sunset anch.o.r.ed in sixteen fathoms fine sand and sh.e.l.ls, near Double Isle.

June 6.

The whole of the next day and night was spent in endeavouring to approach the main, but we made very little progress. During the day natives' fires were burning on many of the islands and the coast of the main was enveloped in smoke.

June 7.

At daylight on the 7th the cutter was about eight miles East by South from Point Slade, with a projecting bluff cape in sight, which proved to be Captain Cook's Cape Hilsborough.

The country in the vicinity and particularly to the southward of the Cape is rocky and mountainous; but the lower grounds are verdant and well clothed with timber; and, judging from the numerous fires along the coast, it must be very populous; the islands near it are rocky and very barren, but many of them being wooded with pine-tree have a picturesque appearance.

In the evening, having pa.s.sed round the Cape, we anch.o.r.ed in Repulse Bay, at about three miles from the sh.o.r.e, which is here low and fronted by a chain of low islands, apparently connected by reefs. Water was seen over the low land at the bottom of the bight in the South-West side of the bay, and is probably a lagoon.

June 8.

The next morning we steered to the North-West to look at the head of Repulse Bay; the bottom of which appears to be correctly described by Captain Cook as being bounded by low land. I obtained a view of it from the summit of one of the islands, named in my chart the Repulse Isles, off which we anch.o.r.ed in the afternoon.