Cape Byron is a small steep head, projecting about two miles from the low land, and in coming along the coast makes like an island; its latitude is 28 deg. 38’, and longitude 153 deg. 37’, or 7’ east of the situation assigned to it by captain Cook.  There are three rocks on its north side; and in the direction of N. 57 deg.  W., eight or nine leagues from it, is the peaked top of a mass of mountains, named by its discoverer Mount Warning; whose elevation is about 3300 feet, and exceeds that of Mount Dromedary, or any other land I have seen upon this East Coast.  To Mr. Westall’s sketch of this remarkable peak (Atlas, Plate XVIII.  View 3.) it may be added, that the surrounding hills were well covered with wood, whose foliage announced a soil more fertile than usual so near the sea side.

The sun was near setting at the time Cape Byron bore west, three or four miles; and the coast from thence to Point Look-out having been seen by captain Cook, we steered off in order to avoid falling in with the reefs of Point Danger in the night.  At eleven, hauled more in for the land; and at eight next day [Monday 26 July 1802], Mount Warning was set at S. 25 deg.  W., twenty leagues.  On coming in with Point Look-out, I took observations for the latitude and longitude, which fixed it in 27 deg. 27’ south, and 153 deg. 31’ east.  The latitude is the same as it had been made in the Norfolk, (Introd.  Vol.  I), but is 19’ south, and 3’ west of the situation given in captain Cook’s chart.  The bearings of the land at noon were,

Point Look-out, distant 3 leagues, S. 9 deg.  W.
Moreton entrance to Glass-house Bay, S. 55 W.
Cape Moreton, distant six leagues, N. 18 W.

A strange vessel seen to the southward, had induced me to carry little sail all the morning; it was now perceived not to be the Lady Nelson, but probably one of the two whalers known to be fishing off the coast; we therefore made sail for Cape Moreton, and came up with it at four o’clock.  I was much surprised to see a small, but dangerous reef lying between four and five miles off this cape to the north-east, which had not been noticed in the Norfolk; in entering Glass-house Bay I had then hauled close round Cape Moreton at dusk in the evening, and in coming out had passed too far westward to observe it.  The longitude of Cape Moreton was now fixed by the time keepers at 153 deg. 261/2’ east, differing only 11/2’ from the lunar observations before taken in the Norfolk; when its latitude had been settled at 27 deg. 01/2’ south.

(Atlas, Plate X.)

TUESDAY 27 JULY 1802

After passing the dangerous reef, we steered northward until three in the morning; and then hove to until daylight, for the purpose of examining the land about Double-island Point and Wide Bay, which did not appear to have been well distinguished by captain Cook.  At seven o’clock the point bore N. 2 deg.  W., six leagues, and the shore abreast, a beach with sandy hills behind it, was distant six miles.  Between the S. 63.  W. and a low bluff head bearing S. 32 deg.  W., was a bight in the coast where the sand hills seemed to terminate; for the back land further south was high and rocky with small peaks on the top, similar to the ridge behind the Glass Houses, of which it is probably a continuation.