that I determined to ascertain before embarking upon
it, whether the general course was in the desired
direction. Leaving Mr.
White with half the party,
I accordingly traced the Karaula downwards, and found
that its course changed to south, a few miles below
where I had made it, and that it was joined by the
Gwydir only eight miles below where I had crossed
that river. Immediately below the junction of
the Gwydir (which is in latitude 29 degrees 30 minutes
27 seconds, longitude 148 degrees 13 minutes 20 seconds)
the course of the river continues southward of west,
directly towards where Captain Sturt discovered the
River Darling; and I could no longer doubt that this
was the same river. I therefore returned to the
party, determined to explore the country further northward.
The results of my progress thus far were sufficient,
I considered, to prove that the division of the waters
falling towards the northern and southern shores of
Australia is not, as has been supposed, in the direction
of the Liverpool and Warrabangle range, but extends
between Cape Byron on the eastern shore, towards Dick
Hartog’s Island on the west; the greater elongation
of this country being between these points, and intermediate
between the lines of its northern and southern coasts.
The basin of the streams I have been upon must be
bounded on the north by this dividing ground or water-shed,
and although no rise was perceptible in the northern
horizon, the river was traversed by several rocky dykes,
over which it fell southward; their direction being
oblique to the course, and nearly parallel to this
division of the waters. I beg leave to state,
that I should not feel certain on this point without
having seen more, were it not evident from Mr. Cunningham’s
observations, made on crossing this division on his
way to Moreton Bay. Mr. Cunningham, on crossing
the head of this river, nearly in the same latitude,
but much nearer its sources, found the height of its
bed above the sea to be 840 feet; at about forty-five
miles further northward the ground rose to upwards
of 1700 feet, but immediately beyond, he reached a
river flowing north-west, the height of which was
only 1400 feet above the sea. He had thus crossed
this dividing higher ground, between the parallels
of 29 degrees and 28 degrees. It appears, therefore,
that all the interior rivers we know of to the northward
of the Morumbidgee, belong to the basin of the Karaula;
this stream flowing southward, and hence the disappearance
of the Macquarie and other lower rivers may be understood,
for all along the banks of the Karaula, the Gwydir,
and the Nammoy, the country, though not swampy, bears
marks of frequent inundation; thus the floods occasioned
by these rivers united, cover the low country, and
receive the Macquarie so that no channel marks its
further course.
