Of the two chains of hills which bound the valley, the eastern one terminates at Low Head; the other comes down to the sea, five or six miles from it, on the west side of the port.  The ends of these chains, when seen from directly off the entrance, appear as two clusters of hills having some resemblance to each other; and in fine weather, the distant blue heads of the back mountains will be seen over the tops of both clusters.  These appearances, joined to the latitude and longitude, are the best distant marks for finding Port Dalrymple.  If a ship come along shore from the eastward, the Ninth Island, and afterward Stony Head with the Tenth Islet lying three or four miles to the north-west, will announce the vicinity of the port; and Low Head will be perceived in the bight to the S. S. W., but it is not a conspicuous object.

Three or four leagues to the westward of the port, the back land is uncommonly high, and the top of the ridge is intersected into uncouth shapes.  From the brilliancy of some of these mountains, on the appearance of the sun after rain, I judged them to be of granite, like those of Furneaux’s Islands.  These mountains, with the direction of the coast and what has been said of the clusters of hills, may serve as marks for Port Dalrymple to ships coming along shore from the westward.

Reefs and banks extend out to a considerable distance on the west side of the entrance; so that strangers should avoid that side, and endeavour to come in with Low Head.  The greater part of these shoals, as also of those in Sea Reach, are covered at half tide; therefore the first of the flood, or even a little before, is the best time to enter Port Dalrymple, as almost the whole of the dangers are then visible.  A signal post, with pilots, was fixed at Low Head on the settlement of the new colony in 1804, and beacons have since been placed on the most dangerous rocks and shoals; it has therefore become unnecessary to give particular instructions for sailing up the port, especially as they may be found in my Observations on the coasts of Van Diemen’s Land, etc.; a little memoir published by Mr. Arrowsmith, in 1801.*

[* In Mr. Horsburgh’s Sailing Directions, etc. Part II., are given, upon my friend captain Kent’s authority, notices of the beacons laid down, and directions respecting them; to which I add, from the information of lieut.  Oxley, that a rock, on which H. M. ship Porpoise struck, lies W. 1/2 N. by compass, one cable’s length from Point Roundabout.  There is no more than four feet upon it at low water, but it way be safely passed on either side.]

We found Port Dalrymple to be an excellent place for refreshment.  Out of the flocks of black swans, from one-fifth to one-tenth of them were unable to fly; and since the same thing has been found to obtain in the months of January and May, as well as in October. it is probably so at all times of the year.  These birds are endowed with a considerable portion of sagacity:  they cannot dive, but have a method of immersing themselves so deep in the water, as to render their bodies nearly invisible, and thus frequently to avoid detection.  In chase, their plan was to gain the wind upon our little boat; and they usually succeeded when the breeze was strong, and sometimes escaped from our shot also.