McKinlay's Journal of Exploration in the Interior of Australia eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 244 pages of information about McKinlay's Journal of Exploration in the Interior of Australia.

McKinlay's Journal of Exploration in the Interior of Australia eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 244 pages of information about McKinlay's Journal of Exploration in the Interior of Australia.

Camp 31.  Cool during the night with a heavy dew, beautiful morning, not a breath of wind:  keeping a short distance from the creek to cross a boggy tributary from the east, for two and three-quarter miles, then through timbered stony rising ground, plenty of feed; the bronzed middle-sized pigeon of Cooper’s Creek seen here; bearing of 40 degrees for two and a quarter miles along limestone and plum-pudding slopes; part of creek on left on bearing of 30 degrees for three and a quarter miles, timber for building purposes to be had here in sufficient quantities; bearing of 45 degrees for three-quarters of a mile; bearing 50 degrees for one mile; bearing of 40 degrees three-quarters of a mile over myall open country, some of it very stony where the flood has swept over it; now on the right are some fine plains backed in by low myall ridges; bearing of 42 degrees for four and three-quarter miles, the creek on the left, tributaries seem to come in and join on opposite side, cross a creek from east in its swamp, plenty of water (Kell’s Creek); I have come to a stony crossing-place and recross over to north-west side; the female camel bogged but we soon got her put to rights; for the last three miles the ground we travelled over is nearly one mass of stones, limestone and agate or flint, and very bad travelling; the creek runs strong—­I have called it Mueller’s Creek after F. Mueller of Melbourne—­fifteen and a half miles.  After getting to camp got a horse and went out north of west to a ridge some short distance off and saw to the westward a large tributary that I think will suit my course; at little over quarter of a mile a very large creek comes in from north of north-east and flows southward, it has ceased running and has a broad stony bottom but has splendid reaches of water; this I have called the Robinson after J. Robinson, Esquire, of Hume River.  Considerably to east is a well-defined range in the distance, running north and south with three detached mounds of hills and I have called it Mount Mueller after F. Mueller, Esquire.

Wednesday, April 9.

Camp 32.  Heavy dew, beautiful still morning, a few fleecy clouds.  Started, bearing of 285 degrees for one and a quarter miles, at three-eighths of a mile crossed the Robinson, at three-eighths of a mile further crossed a nice creek with large reaches, the Mansergh; at three-eighths of a mile further changed our mode of travel to the bearing of 330 degrees for two and a quarter miles; then bearing 354 1/2 degrees, spinifex hill or range close on the right, good open country travelled over; creek on the left about two miles off, alluvial deposit on plain, over which we travelled for six and three-quarter miles then entered a mulga range (low) bronzed stone on the ascent but plenty of feed and numerous traces of kangaroo.  Saw lots of emu on the plains; still on bearing of 354 1/2 degrees to creek, passing on the right a vast quantity of spinifex and ranges of sandstone right

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McKinlay's Journal of Exploration in the Interior of Australia from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.