Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia Volume II Part 41

Painting with red.

Raised scars on arms and breast.

Cutting themselves in mourning.

Authority of old men.

Native dogs.

Females carrying children.

Weapons.

Spear.

Woomera.

Boomerang.

Its probable origin.

Shield or Hieleman.

Skill in approaching the kangaroo.

Modes of cooking.

Opossum.

Singeing.

Vegetable food.

The shovel.

General observations.

AGREEABLE TRAVELLING.

October 27.

Brightly shone the sun, the sky was dressed in blue and gold and "the fields were full of star-like flowers, and overgrown with joy,"* on the first day of my ride homeward along the green banks of the Murrumbidgee, having crossed the river in a small canoe that morning. Seven months had elapsed since I had seen either a road or a bridge although during that time I had travelled over two thousand four hundred miles. Right glad was I, like Gilpin's horse, "at length to miss the lumber of the wheels," the boats, carts, specimens, and last but not least, Kater's compa.s.ses. No care had I now whether my single step was east or north-east, nor about the length of my day's journey, nor the hills or dales crossed, as to their true situation, names, or number, or where I should encamp. To be free from such cares seemed heaven itself, and I rode on without the slightest thought about where I should pa.s.s the night, quite sure that some friendly hut or house would receive me and afford snugger shelter and better fare than I had seen for many a day.

(*Footnote. Remains of Peter Corcoran. Blackwood's Magazine.)

APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY ON THE MURRUMBIDGEE.

We had arrived on the Murrumbidgee seventy-five miles below the point where that river quitted the settled districts and ceased to form a county boundary. I found the upper portion of this fine stream fully occupied as cattle-stations, which indeed extended also, as I was informed, much lower down the river; and such was the thoroughfare in that direction that I found a tolerable cart road from one station to another. I pa.s.sed the night at the house of a stockman in charge of the cattle of Mr. James Macarthur, and I was very comfortably lodged.

October 28.

With the Murrumbidgee still occasionally in view we pursued the road which led towards Sydney. Each meadow was already covered with the lowing herds for which it seemed to have been prepared; and the traces of man's industry were now obvious in fences, and in a substantial wooden house and smoking chimney, usually built in the most inviting part of each cattle run. All the animals looked fat and sufficiently proved the value of the pasturage along this river. Steep and rugged ridges occasionally approached its banks and, in following the beaten track, I this day crossed acclivities much more difficult for the pa.s.sage of wheel-carriages than any we had traversed throughout those uncultivated wastes, where even the pastoral age had not commenced.

The scenery at various points of the river seen this day was very beautiful; its chief features consisting of n.o.ble sheets of water, umbrageous woods, flowery meadows, enlivened by those objects so essential to the harmony of landscape, cattle of every hue.

The gigantic and luxuriant growth of the yarra eucalyptus everywhere produced fine effects; and one tree in particular pleased me so much that I was tempted to draw it, although the shades of evening would scarcely permit; but while thus engaged I sent my servant forward to look for some hut or station that I might remain the longer to complete my drawing.

JUGION CREEK.

I arrived long after dark at a cattle-station occupied by a superintendent of Mr. Henry O'Brian, near Jugion Creek on the right bank of the Murrumbidgee, and there pa.s.sed the night. Two considerable rivers join this creek from the mountainous but fine country to the southward, one being named the Coodradigbee, the other the Doomot. The higher country there is granitic although, on both rivers, limestone also abounds in which the corals seem to belong to Mr. Murchison's Silurian system. Favosites, Stromatopora concentrica, Heliopora pyriformis, and stems of crinoidea are found loosely about the surface. There is also a large rock of haemat.i.te under Mount Jellula.

BRUNONIA ABUNDANT.

October 29.

The road led us this day over some hilly country of a rather poor description, but the beautiful flower Brunonia grew so abundantly that the surface exhibited the unusual and delicate tint of ultramarine blue.

I was tempted once more to forsake the road in order to ascend a range which it crossed in hopes of being able to see, from some lofty summit thereof, points of the country I had left, and thus to connect them by means of my pocket s.e.xtant with any visible points I might recognise of my former trigonometrical survey. It was not however in my power to do this satisfactorily, not having been able to distinguish any of the latter.

Ya.s.s PLAINS.

Towards evening I drew near Ya.s.s Plains and was not a little struck with their insignificance as compared with those of the south. A township had been marked out here, and the comfortable establishments of various wealthy colonists evinced, by their preference of these plains, that they considered them the best part of a very extensive district.

THE GAP, AN INN.

Mr. Cornelius...o...b..ien had invited me to his house and afterwards furnished me with a supply of provisions for my party; but I carried my own despatches, and a much shorter route led to the left by which I could divide the way better in continuing my ride to the Gap, a small inn where I arrived at a very late hour, the road having been soft, uneven, and wholly through a dreary wood.

The noise and bustle of the house was quite refreshing to one who had dwelt so long in deserts, although it seemed to promise little accommodation, for there had been races in the neighbourhood and horses lay about the yard. Nevertheless the waiter and his wife cleared for my accommodation a room which had been full of noisy people, and my horses were soon lodged snugly in the stable. There indeed I perceived more room than the house afforded, for while the guests were regaling within their horses were allowed to lay about to starve outside, as if so many gypsies had been about the place; no uncommon circ.u.mstance in Australia.

October 30.

In the course of my ride this morning I recognised the poor scrubby land about the southern boundary of the county of Argyle, which I had surveyed in 1828. The wood on it is rather open, consisting of a stunted species of eucalyptus, the gra.s.s, apparently a hard species of poa, affording but little nourishment. Sandstone and quartz are the predominant rocks although some of the most remarkable hills consist of trap.

BREDALBANE PLAINS.

Pa.s.sing at length through a gap in a low ridge of granular quartz, we entered upon Bredalbane plains, consisting of three open flats of gra.s.sy land circ.u.mscribed by hills of little apparent height, and extending about twelve miles in the direction of this road, their average width being about two miles. Deringullen ponds arise in the most southern plain, and are among the most eastern heads of the Lachlan. The plains are situated on the high dividing ground or water shed between the streams falling eastward and westward, and had probably once been lagoons of the same character as those which still distinguish other portions of this dividing ground.

LAKE GEORGE.

The most remarkable of these is Lake George, about fourteen miles further to the south, and which in 1828 was a sheet of water seventeen miles in length and seven in breadth. There is no outlet for the waters of this lake although it receives no less than four mountain streams from the hills north of it, namely Turallo creek, whose highest source is fourteen miles from the lake, Butmaro creek which arises in a mountain sixteen miles from it, Taylor's creek from the range on the east, six miles distant, and Kenny's creek from hills five miles distant. The southern sh.o.r.e of this lake presents one continuous low ridge, separating its waters from the head of the Ya.s.s river which would otherwise receive them. The water was slightly brackish in 1828 but quite fit for use, and the lake was then surrounded by dead trees of the eucalyptus measuring about two feet in diameter, which also extended into it until wholly covered by the water. In that wide expanse we could find no fish, and an old native female said she remembered when the whole was a forest, a statement supported pro tanto by the dead trees in its bed as well as by the whole of the basin being in October 1836 a gra.s.sy meadow not unlike the plains of Bredalbane.

It would be well worth the attention of a man of leisure to ascertain the lowest part in the country around Lake George, at which its waters, on reaching their maximum height, would overflow from its basin.

Several lagoons, apparently the remains of more extensive waters, occur between Lake George and Bredalbane plains in the line of watershed as already observed. These are named Tarrago, Mutmutbilly, and Wallagorong, the latter being apparently a residuum of the lake which probably once covered the three plains of Bredalbane.

SOIL AND ROCKS.

The quality of the soil now found in the patches of gra.s.sy land on the margins of these lakes and lagoons depends on the nature of the high ground nearest to them. The hills to the eastward of Lake George are chiefly granitic. Ondyong point on its northern sh.o.r.e consists of sandstone resembling that of the coal-measures; and the rock forming the range above the western sh.o.r.es is of the same quality. The hills at the source of Kenny's creek consist of trap, of which rock there is also a remarkable hill on the southern side of Bredalbane plains; and these plains are bounded on the north by a ridge of syenite, which here forms the actual division between the sources of the rivers Lachlan and Wollondilly.

The water in the smaller lagoons westward of Lake George is perfectly sweet, and the pasturage on the plains adjacent being in general very good, the land is occupied by several extensive grazing establishments.

THE WOLLONDILLY.

On entering the valley of the river Wollondilly which waters Goulburn plains, I was surprised to see its waters extremely low and not even flowing. The poor appearance of the woods also struck me, judging by comparison with the land in the south; and although the scantiness of gra.s.s, also observable, might be attributed to the great number of sheep and cattle fed there, I was not the less sensible of the more parched aspect of the country generally.

GOULBURN PLAINS.

Goulburn Plains consist of open downs affording excellent pasturage for sheep and extending twenty miles southward from the township, their breadth being about ten.

A GARDEN.

I reached at twilight the house of a worthy friend, Captain Rossi, who received me with great kindness and hospitality. The substantial improvements which he had effected on his farm since my last visit to that part of the colony evinced his skill and industry as a colonist; while an extensive garden and many tasteful arrangements for domestic comfort marked the residence of a gentleman. Under that hospitable roof I exchanged the narrative of my wanderings for the acc.u.mulated news of seven months which, with my friend's good cheer, rendered his invitation to rest my horses for one day quite irresistible.

October 31.

A walk in the garden; a visit to the shearing shed; the news of colonial affairs in general; fat pullets cooked a la gastronome and some good wine; had each in its turn rare charms for me.

PUBLIC WORKS.