As the steepness of its sides utterly forbade all idea of reaching the summit of the flat-topped peak, he directed his course downwards to the river, steering SSE to go clear of the head of the creek, and of the swamps in its vicinity; but this direction took him a great way inland; and upon his altering the course to reach the place where he had left the boat, he had to cross a broad stream of fresh water which fell in lower down, and to walk near three miles to reach the water side.  He, however, hit the place with unexpected readiness, and was very acceptably presented with a black swan, which the people in the boat had caught, and which was at the moment ready for satisfying the appetites of his party, which were not trifling, for a more laborious and tiresome walk of the same length would seldom be experienced.

The traces of men and animals were very few, and but rarely met with in the upper parts of this excursion; but Mr. Flinders found a new species of pheasant, about the size of an English magpie.  The emu was not seen, although its voice had been so often heard, as to induce him to suppose that bird must be numerous.  The more inland part of the country was something higher and better than in the neighbourhood of the salt water; but no where did he meet with any that was calculated for the production of wheat.

Having reached the sloop in the evening, as soon as the ebb tide permitted, the following morning, Sunday the 28th, they got under weigh to turn down the river, with the wind at SSE.  There were many natives on the shore abreast of them, who seemed particularly anxious to be visited, dancing and singing to attract attention, and express their own good-will; and, when they could not prevail upon our people to land. followed the sloop along the banks, their hopes seeming to revive by the trips which in tacking they occasionally made towards the shore.

The intricacy of the channels proving a great impediment to their progress, they could not get out of the river in one tide, but anchored about a mile short of the entrance.  Three swans, that the boat caught in coming down, made the number of eighteen which had been procured in this river.

Shortly after anchoring, Mr. Flinders took some people with axes on shore to cut a log of the pine* for the workmen at Port Jackson, who might ascertain the kind and worth of the wood.  There was a house and several natives near the place, with whom Bong-ree was in conversation when the tree fell, the crash and report of which startled them a good deal, and might probably assist in giving them a higher idea of the power of their visitors.  These people were still very averse from the appearance or approach of a musket, keeping a watchful eye upon their least movement.  The gallant and unsuspecting native, Bong-ree, made them a present of one of his spears, and a throwing-stick, of which he showed them the use, for they appeared to be wholly ignorant of the latter, and their weapons of the former kind were inferior to his.