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Journals Of Expeditions Of Discovery Into Central

E >> Edward John Eyre >> Journals Of Expeditions Of Discovery Into Central




All the time I could spare from directing or superintending the loading
of the drays, I devoted to writing letters and making arrangements for
the regulation of my private affairs, which from the sudden manner in
which I had engaged in the exploring expedition, and from the busy and
hurried life I had led since the commencement of the preparations, had
fallen into some confusion. I was now, however, obliged to content myself
with such a disposition of them as the time and circumstances enabled me
to make.--I observed the latitude of the station to be 34 degrees 15
minutes 56 seconds S.

June 23.--Having got all the party up very early, I broke up the station,
and sent one man on horseback into Adelaide with despatches and letters.
My overseer and another man were now added to the party, making up our
complement in number. Upon re-arranging the loads of the drays yesterday,
I had found it inconvenient to have the instruments and tent equipage
upon the more heavily loaded drays, and I therefore decided upon taking
an extra cart and another horse from the station. This completed our
alterations, and the party and equipment stood thus:--

Mr. Eyre.
Mr. Scott, my assistant and companion.
John Baxter, Overseer.
Corporal Coles, R.S. and M.
John Houston, driving a three horse dray.
R. M'Robert, driving a three horse dray.
Neramberein and Cootachah,
Aboriginal boys, to drive the sheep, track, etc.

We had with us 13 horses and 40 sheep, and our other stores were
calculated for about three months; in addition to which we were to have a
further supply forwarded to the head of Spencer's Gulf by sea, in the
WATERWITCH, to await our arrival in that neighbourhood. This would give
us the means of remaining out nearly six months, if we found the country
practicable, and in that time we might, if no obstacles intervened,
easily reach the centre of the Continent and return, or if practicable,
cross to Port Essington on the N. W. coast.

About eleven I moved on the party up the Light for 8 miles, and then
halted after an easy stage. As the horses were fresh and the men were not
yet accustomed to driving them, I was anxious to move quietly on at
first, that nothing might be done in a hurry, and every one might
gradually settle down to what he had to perform, and that thus by a
little care and moderation at first, those evils, which my former
travelling had taught me were frequently the result of haste or
inexperience, might be avoided. Nothing is more common than to get the
withers of horses wrung, or their shoulders and backs galled at the
commencement of a journey, and nothing more difficult than to effect a
cure of this mischief whilst the animals are in use. By the precaution
which I adopted, I succeeded in preventing this, for the present.

As we passed up the valley of the Light, we had some rich and picturesque
scenery around us--the fertile vale running nearly north and south,
backed to the westward by well wooded irregular ranges grassed to their
summits, and to the eastward shut in by a dark looking and more heavily
timbered range, beyond which rose two peaks of more distant hills,
through the centre of the valley the Light took its course, but at
present it was only a chain of large ponds unconnected by any stream; and
thus, I believe, it remains the greater part of the year, although
occasionally swollen to a broad and rapid current.

June 24.--The horses having strayed a little this morning, and given us
some trouble to get them, it was rather late when we started; we,
however, crossed the low ridges at the head of the Light, and entering
upon extensive plains to the north, we descended to a channel, which I
took to be the head of a watercourse called the "Gilbert."

Finding here some tolerably good water and abundance of grass, I halted
the party for the night, though we were almost wholly without firewood,
an inconvenience that we felt considerably, as the nights now were very
cold and frosty. Our stage had been fourteen miles to-day, running at
first over low barren ridges, and then crossing rich plains of a loose
brown soil, but very heavy for the drays to travel over.

At our camp, a steep bank of the watercourse presented an extensive
geological section, but there was nothing remarkable in it, the substrata
consisting only of a kind of pipe clay.

June 25.--Upon starting this morning we traversed a succession of fine
open and very grassy plains, from which we ascended the low ridges
forming the division of the waters to the north and south. In the latter
direction, we had left the heads of the "Gilbert" and "Wakefield" chains
of ponds, whilst in descending in the former we came upon the "Hill," a
fine chain of ponds taking its course through a very extensive and grassy
valley, but with little timber of any kind growing near it. On this
account I crossed it, and passing on a little farther encamped the party
on a branch of the "Hutt," and within a mile and a half of the main
course of that chain of ponds. Our whole route to-day, had been through a
fine and valuable grazing district, with grass of an excellent
description, and of great luxuriance.

We were now nearly opposite to the most northerly of the out stations,
and after seeing the party encamp, I proceeded, accompanied by Mr. Scott,
to search for the stations for the purpose of saying good bye to a few
more of my friends. We had not long, however, left the encampment when it
began to rain and drove us back to the tents, effectually defeating the
object with which we had commenced our walk. Heavy rain was apparently
falling to the westward of us, and the night set in dark and lowering.

In some parts of the large plains we had crossed in the morning, I had
observed traces of the remains of timber, of a larger growth than any now
found in the same vicinity, and even in places where none at present
exists. Can these plains of such very great extent, and now so open and
exposed, have been once clothed with timber? and if so, by what cause, or
process, have they been so completely denuded, as not to leave a single
tree within a range of many miles? In my various wanderings in Australia,
I have frequently met with very similar appearances; and somewhat
analogous to these, are the singular little grassy openings, or plains,
which are constantly met with in the midst of the densest Eucalyptus
scrub.

Every traveller in those dreary regions has appreciated these, (to him)
comparatively speaking, oasises of the desert--for it is in them alone,
that he can hope to obtain any food for his jaded horse; without,
however, their affording under ordinary circumstances, the prospect of
water for himself. Forcing his way through the dense, and apparently
interminable scrub, formed by the Eucalyptus dumosa, (which in some
situations is known to extend for fully 100 miles), the traveller
suddenly emerges into an open plain, sprinkled over with a fine silky
grass, varying from a few acres to many thousands in extent, but
surrounded on all sides by the dreary scrub he has left.

In these plains I have constantly traced the remains of decayed
scrub--generally of a larger growth than that surrounding them--and
occasionally appearing to have grown very densely together. From this it
would appear that the face of the country in those low level regions,
occupied by the Eucalyptus dumosa, is gradually undergoing a process
which is changing it for the better, and in the course of centuries
perhaps those parts of Australia which are now barren and worthless, may
become rich and fertile districts, for as soon as the scrub is removed
grass appears to spring up spontaneously. The plains found interspersed
among the dense scrubs may probably have been occasioned by fires,
purposely or accidentally lighted by the natives in their wanderings, but
I do not think the same explanation would apply to those richer plains
where the timber has been of a large growth and the trees in all
probability at some distance apart--here fires might burn down a few
trees, but would not totally annihilate them over a whole district,
extending for many miles in every direction.

June 26.--This morning brought a very heavy fog, through which we
literally could not see 100 yards, when the party moved on to the "Hutt"
chain of ponds, and then followed that watercourse up to the Broughton
river, which was crossed in Lat. 33 degrees 28 minutes S. At this point
the bed of the Broughton is of considerable width, and its channel is
occupied by long, wide and very deep water holes, connected with one
another by a strongly running stream, which seldom or never fails even in
the driest seasons. The soil upon its banks however is not valuable,
being generally stony and barren, and bearing a sort of prickly grass,
(Spinifex). Wild fowl abound on the pools. On a former occasion, when I
first discovered the Broughton, I obtained both ducks and swans from its
waters, but now I had no time for sporting, being anxious to push on to
the "reedy watercourse," a halting place in my former journey, so as to
get over all the rough and hilly ground before nightfall, that we might
have a fair start in the morning. I generally preferred, if practicable,
to lengthen the stage a little in the vicinity of watercourses or hills,
in order to get the worst of the road over whilst the horses worked
together and were warm, rather than leave a difficult country to be
passed over the first thing in the morning, when, for want of exercise,
the teams are chill and stiff, and require to be stimulated before they
will work well in unison. Our journey to-day was about twenty miles, and
the last five being over a rugged hilly road, it was late in the
afternoon when we halted for the night.

"The reedy watercourse," is a chain of water-holes taking its rise among
some grassy and picturesque ranges to the north of us, and trending
southerly to a junction with the Broughton. Among the gorges of this
range, (which I had previously named Campbell's range,)[Note 1: After
R. Campbell, Esq. M. C. of Sydney.] are many springs of water,
and the scenery is as picturesque as the district is fertile.
Many of the hills are well rounded, very grassy, and moderately well
timbered even to their summits. This is one of the prettiest and most
desirable localities for either sheep or cattle, that I have yet seen in
the unoccupied parts of South Australia, whilst the distance from
Adelaide by land, does not at the most exceed one hundred and twenty
miles. [Note 2: All this country, and for some distance to the
north, is now occupied by stations.] The watercourse near our camp took
its course through an open valley, between bare hills on which there was
neither tree nor shrub for firewood and we were constantly obliged to go
half a mile up a steep hill before we could obtain a few stunted bushes to
cook with. As the watercourse approached the Broughton the country became
much more abrupt and broken, and after its junction with that river, the
stream wound through a succession of barren and precipitous hills, for
about fifteen miles, at a general course of south-west; these hills were
overrun almost everywhere with prickly grass and had patches of the
Eucalyptus dumosa scattered over them at intervals.

Up to the point where it left the hills, there were ponds of water in the
bed of the Broughton, but upon leaving them the river changed its
direction to the northward, passing through extensive plains and
retaining a deep wide gravelly channel, but without surface water, the
drainage being entirely underground, and the country around comparatively
poor and valueless.




Chapter III.



SPRING HILL--AN AGED NATIVE DESERTED BY HIS TRIBE--RICH AND EXTENSIVE
PLAINS--SURPRISE A PARTY OF NATIVES--ROCKY RIVER--CRYSTAL BROOK--FLINDERS
RANGE--THE DEEP SPRING--MYALL PONDS--ROCKY WATER HOLES--DRY
WATERCOURSE--REACH THE DEPOT NEAR MOUNT ARDEN--PREPARE FOR LEAVING THE
PARTY--BLACK SWANS PASS TO THE NORTH--ARRIVAL OF THE WATERWITCH.


During the night the frost had been so severe, that we were obliged to
wait a little this morning for the sun to thaw the tent and tarpaulins
before they would bend to fold up. After starting, we proceeded across a
high barren open country, for about three miles on a W. N. W. course,
passing close under a peak connected with Campbell's range, which I named
Spring Hill, from the circumstance of a fine spring of water being found
about half way up it.

Not far from the spring I discovered a poor emaciated native, entirely
alone, without either food or fire, and evidently left by his tribe to
perish there; he was a very aged man, and from hardship and want was
reduced to a mere skeleton, how long he had been on the spot where we
found him I had no means of ascertaining, but probably for some time, as
life appeared to be fast ebbing away; he seemed almost unconscious of our
presence, and stared upon us with a vacant unmeaning gaze. The pleasures
or sorrows of life were for ever over with him: his case was far beyond
the reach of human aid, and the probability is that he died a very few
hours after we left him.

Such is the fate of the aged and helpless in savage life, nor can we
wonder that it should be so, since self-preservation is the first law of
nature, and the wandering native who has to travel always over a great
extent of ground to seek for his daily food, could not obtain enough to
support his existence, if obliged to remain with the old or the sick, or
if impeded by the incumbrance of carrying them with him; still I felt
grieved for the poor old man we had left behind us, and it was long
before I could drive away his image from my mind, or repress the
melancholy train of thoughts that the circumstance had called forth.

From the summit of Spring Hill, I observed extensive plains to the N. W.
skirted both on their eastern and western sides, by open hills, whilst to
the N. W. and N. E. the ranges were high, and apparently terminated in
both directions by peaked summits on their eastern extremes; a little
south of west the waters of Spencer's Gulf were distinctly visible, and
the smokes ascending from the fires of the natives, were seen in many
directions among the hills. After passing Spring Hill, we crossed some
rich and extensive plains, stretching far away to the northward, and
taking a nearly north and south direction under Campbell's range; in the
upper part of these plains is the deep bed of a watercourse with water in
it all the year round, and opposite to which, in lat. 33 degrees 14
minutes S, is a practicable pass for drays through Campbell's range, to
the grassy country to the eastward.

June 27.--In crossing the southern extremity of these large plains, we
came suddenly upon a small party of natives engaged in digging yams of
which the plains were full; they were so intent upon their occupation
that we were close to them before they were aware of our presence; when
they saw us they appeared to be surprised and alarmed, and endeavoured to
steal off as rapidly as they could without fairly taking to their heels,
for they were evidently either unwilling or afraid to run; finding that
we did not molest them they halted, and informed us by signs that we
should soon come to water, in the direction we were going. This I knew to
be true, and about three o'clock we were in front of a water-course, I
had on a former journey named the "Rocky river," from the ragged
character of its bed where we struck it.

We had been travelling for some distance upon a high level open country,
and now came to a sudden gorge of several hundred feet below us, through
which the Rocky river wound its course. It was a most singular and wild
looking place, and was not inaptly named by the men, the "Devil's Glen;"
looking down from the table land we were upon, the valley beneath
appeared occupied by a hundred little hills of steep ascent and rounded
summits, whilst through their pretty glens, flowed the winding stream,
shaded by many a tree and shrub--the whole forming a most interesting and
picturesque scene.

The bed of the watercourse was over an earthy slate, and the water had a
sweetish taste. Like most of the Australian rivers, it consisted only of
ponds connected by a running stream, and even that ceased to flow a
little beyond where we struck it, being lost in the deep sandy channel
which it then assumed, and which exhibited in many places traces of very
high floods. Below our camp the banks were 50 to 60 feet high, and the
width from 60 to 100 yards, its course lay through plains to the
south-west, over which patches of scrub were scattered at intervals, and
the land in its vicinity was of an inferior description, with much
prickly grass growing upon it.

Upwards, the Rocky river, after emerging from the gorges in which we
found it, descended through very extensive plains from the
north-north-east; there was plenty of water in its bed, and abundance of
grass over the plains, so that in its upper parts it offers fine and
extensive runs for either cattle or sheep, and will, I have no doubt, ere
many years be past, be fully occupied for pastoral purposes.

From our present encampment a very high and pointed hill was visible far
to the N.N. W. this from the lofty way in which it towered above the
surrounding hills, I named Mount Remarkable. Our latitude at noon was 33
degrees 25 minutes 26 seconds S.

A very beautiful shrub was found this afternoon upon the Rocky river, in
full flower: it was a tall slender stalked bush, about six or eight feet
high, growing almost in the bed of the river, with leaves like a
geranium, and fine delicate lilac flowers about an inch and a half in
diameter; here, too, we found the first gum-trees seen upon any of the
watercourses for many miles, as all those we had recently crossed,
traversed open plains which were quite without either trees or shrubs of
any kind.

June 28.--This morning we passed through a country of an inferior
description, making a short stage to a watercourse, named by me the
"Crystal Brook;" it was a pretty stream emanating from the hills to the
north-east, and marked in its whole course through the plains to the
northward and westward by lines of gum-trees. The pure bright water ran
over a bed of clear pebbles, with a stream nine feet wide, rippling and
murmuring like the rivulets of England--a circumstance so unusual in the
character of Australian watercourses, that it interested and pleased the
whole party far more than a larger river would have done; this
characteristic did not, however, long continue, for like all the streams
we had lately crossed, the water ceased to flow a short distance beyond
our crossing place.

The country below us, like that through which the Rocky river took its
course, was open and of an inferior description, but I have no doubt that
by tracing the stream upwards, towards its source among the ranges, a
good and well watered country would be found; I ascertained the latitude
by a meridian altitude at Crystal brook to be 33 degrees 18 minutes 7
seconds S.

The hills on the opposite side of Spencer's Gulf were now plainly
visible, and one which appeared to be inland, I took to be the middle
Back mountain of Flinders; between our camp and the eastern shores of the
gulf, the land was generally low, with a good deal of scrub upon it, and
nearer the shores appeared to be swampy, and subject to inundation by the
tides.

June 29.--Upon moving from our camp this morning we commenced following
under Flinders range. From Crystal brook, the hills rise gradually in
elevation as they trend to the northward, still keeping their western
slopes almost precipitous to the plains, out of which they appear to rise
abruptly. Our course was much embarrassed by the gullies and gorges
emanating from the hills, in some of which the crossing place was not
very good, and in all the horses got much shaken, so that when we arrived
at a large watercourse defined by gum trees, and in which was a round
hole of water that had been on a former occasion called by me "The Deep
Spring," I halted the party for the night and found that the horses were
a good deal fatigued. Fortunately there was excellent food for them, and
plenty of water. The place at which we encamped was upon one of the
numerous watercourses, proceeding from the gorges of Flinders range. It
had a wide gravelly bed, divided into two or three separate channels, but
without a drop of water below the base of the hills, excepting where we
bivouacked, at this point, there was a considerable extent of rich black
alluvial soil, and in the midst of it a mound of jet black earth,
surrounded by a few reeds. In the centre of the mound was a circular deep
hole containing water, and apparently a spring: the last time I was here,
in 1839 it was full to overflowing, but now, though in the depth of
winter, I was surprised and chagrined to see the water so much lower than
I had known it before. It was covered up too so carefully with bushes and
boughs, that it was evident the natives sometimes contemplated its being
quite dried up, [Note 3: In October 1842, I again passed this way, in
command of a party of Police sent overland to Port Lincoln, to search for
Mr. C. C. Dutton: the spring was then dried up completely.] and had taken
this means as the best they could adopt for shading and protecting the
water. On the other hand the numerous well beaten tracks leading to this
solitary pool appeared to indicate that there was no other water in the
neighbourhood. We saw kangaroos, pigeons and birds of various
descriptions, going to it in considerable number. At night too after dark
we found that a party of natives were watching also for an opportunity
to participate in so indispensable a necessary, which having secured,
they departed, and we saw nothing more of them. I observed the latitude
at this camp to be 33 degrees 7 minutes 14 seconds S. and the variation
8 degrees 53 minutes E.

June 30.--Our road to day was much better, and less interrupted by
gullies, though we still kept close under Flinders range. We traversed a
great extent of plain land which was generally stony, but grassy, and
tolerably well adapted for sheep runs. Several watercourses take their
rise from this range, with a westerly direction towards the gulf, these
were all dry when we crossed them, but their course was indicated by gum
trees, and as some of the channels were wide and large, and had strong
traces of occasional high floods, I rode for many miles down one of the
most promising, but without being able to find a drop of water. At noon
our latitude was 32 degrees 59 minutes 8 seconds, S.

Late in the afternoon we reached a watercourse, which I had previously
named "Myall Ponds," [Note 4: Myall is in some parts of New Holland, the
native name for the Acacia pendula.] from the many and beautiful Acacia
pendula trees that grew upon its banks. There I knew we could get water,
and at once halted the party for the night. Upon going to examine the
supply I was again disappointed at finding it so much less than when I had
been here in 1839. This did not augur well for our future prospects, and
gave me considerable anxiety relative to our future movements.

For some days past the whole party had fully entered upon their
respective duties, each knew exactly what he had to do, and was beginning
to get accustomed to its performance, so that every thing went on
smoothly and prosperously. My own time, when not personally engaged in
conducting the party, was occupied in keeping the journals and charts,
etc. in taking and working observations--in the daily register of the
barometer, thermometer, winds, and weather, and in collecting specimens
of flowers, or minerals. My young friend, Mr. Scott, was kept equally
busy; for in many of these duties he assisted me, and in some relieved me
altogether; the regular entry of the meteorological observations, and the
collecting of flowers or shrubs generally fell to his share;
independently of which he was the only sportsman in the party, and upon
his gun we were dependant for supplies of wallabies, pigeons, ducks, or
other game, to vary our bill of fare, and make the few sheep we had with
us hold out as long as possible. As a companion I could not have made a
better selection--young, active, and cheerful, I found him ever ready to
render me all the assistance in his power. At our present encampment,
several of a species of wallabie, very much resembling a hare in flavour,
were shot by Mr. Scott, but hitherto we had not succeeded in getting a
kangaroo.

July 1.--To-day we travelled through a similar country to that we were in
yesterday, consisting of open plains and occasionally low scrub.
Kangaroos abounded in every direction. Our stage was eighteen miles to a
watercourse called by me the "Reedy water holes," from the circumstance
of reeds growing around the margin of the water. Upon arriving at this
place I was surprised to find a strongly running stream, where formerly
there had only been a reedy pond, although the two last watercourses we
had encamped at had been much reduced and dried up. When I had been here
in 1839, they were the running streams, and this only a pool, whilst
singularly enough there did not appear to have been more rain at one
place than the other.

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