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Journals Of Expeditions Of Discovery Into Central

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




To the north and north-west the horizon was unbroken to the naked eye,
but with the aid of a powerful telescope I could discover fragments of
table land similar to those I had seen in the neighbourhood of the lake
in that direction. At N. 8 degrees W. a very small haycock-looking hill
might be seen above the level waste, probably the last of the low spurs
of Flinders range to the north. To the north-east, the view was
obstructed by a high range immediately in front of us, but to the east
and as far as E. 13 degrees S. we saw through a break in the hills, a
broad glittering belt in appearance, like the bed of a lake, but
apparently dry.

The ranges seemed to continue to the eastward of Mount Serle for about
fifteen miles, and then terminated abruptly in a low, level,
scrubby-looking country, also about fifteen miles in extent, between the
hills and the borders of the lake. The latter appearing about twenty-five
miles across, whilst beyond it was a level region without a height or
elevation of any kind.

Connecting the view before me with the fact that on the 14th August, when
in about lat. 29 degrees S., I had found Lake Torrens turning round to
the north-east, and had observed no continuation of Flinders range to the
eastward of my position, I could now no longer doubt that I had almost
arrived at the termination of that range, and that the glittering belt I
now saw to the east, was in fact only an arm of the lake taking the
drainage from its eastern slopes.

Sad and painful were the thoughts that occupied my mind in returning to
the camp. Hitherto, even when placed in the most difficult or desperate
circumstances I was cheered by hope, but now I had no longer even that
frail solace to cling to, there was no mistaking the nature of the
country, by which we were surrounded on every side, and no room for
doubting its impracticability.




Chapter VII.



EXCURSION TO THE NORTH-EAST--TRACE DOWN THE FROME--WATER BECOMES
SALT--PASS BEYOND THE RANGES--COCKATOOS SEEN--HEAVY RAINS--DRY
WATER-COURSES--MOUNT DISTANCE--BRINE SPRINGS--MOUNT HOPELESS--TERMINATION
OF FLINDERS RANGE--LAKE TORRENS TO THE NORTH AND TO THE EAST--ALL FURTHER
ADVANCE HOPELESS--YOUNG EMUS CAUGHT--REJOIN PARTY--MOVE BACK TOWARDS
MOUNT ARDEN--LOSS OF A HORSE--ARRIVE AT THE DEPOT--PLANS FOR THE
FUTURE--TAKE UP STORES--PREPARE FOR LEAVING.


Upon returning to the depot at the Burr, I decided upon making an
excursion to the north-east, to ascertain the actual termination of
Flinders range, and the nature of the prospect beyond it; not to satisfy
myself, for a single glance from the eminence I had recently occupied at
Mount Serle, had for ever set my curiosity at rest on these points, but
in discharge of the duty I owed to the Governor, and the promoters of the
expedition, who could not be expected to be satisfied with a bare
conjecture on a subject which they had sent me practically to
demonstrate, however fairly from circumstances the conclusions might be
deduced at which I had been compelled to arrive. Accordingly, on the
morning of the 29th, I took with me my overseer, one man, a native boy,
and a cart drawn by three horses to carry water; and making an early
start, proceeded to attempt for the last time to penetrate into those
regions of gloom.

After travelling ten miles, we arrived at the Frome, where we watered and
fed the horses. From this place I sent the overseer on before us, to see
how far the water extended, that we might determine where to fix our
halting-place for the night. After resting awhile we proceeded on with
the cart, tracing down the watercourse over a very rough and stony road
on which the cart was upset, but without any serious damage, and passing
several very large and fine water-holes with many teal and wood-duck upon
them.

At eight miles from where we lunched, we encamped with abundance of
water, but very little grass. The latitude by meridian altitude of Altair
was 30 degrees 18 minutes 30 seconds S. In the evening the overseer
returned, and stated there was water for nine miles further, but that the
road was very rocky and bad.

August 30.--Leaving the overseer to bring on the cart, I rode on a-head
down the watercourse to trace the continuance of the water. The road I
found to be very bad, and at twenty-three miles, upon tasting the water I
found it as salt as the sea, and the bed of the creek quite impracticable
for a cart; I therefore hurried back for seven miles, and halted the
party at the last good water-hole, which was about sixteen miles from our
yesterday's camp.

We had seen many ducks during the day, two of which I shot, and the black
boy found a nest with fresh eggs in it, so that we fared more luxuriously
than usual. The night set in very dark and windy, but no rain fell.

August 31.--This morning I sent the overseer back to the depot with the
cart and two horses, whilst I and the native boy proceeded on our route
on horseback, taking also a man leading a pack-horse to carry water for
us the first day. Following down the watercourse, we passed through some
imposing scenery, consisting of cliffs from six to eight hundred feet in
height, rising perpendicularly from their bases, below which were
recesses, into which the sun never shone, and whose gloomy grandeur
imparted a melancholy cast to the thoughts and feelings, in unison with
the sublimity of the scene around.

After travelling twelve miles from the camp, we got clear of the hills,
and found an open country before us to the north; through this we
proceeded for ten miles further, still following the direction of the
watercourse, and halting upon it for the night, after having made a stage
of twenty-two miles. We had tolerable grass for the horses, but were
obliged to give them water from the kegs.

At this place I was much astonished to see four white cockatoos, flying
about among the gum-trees in the watercourse, and immediately commenced a
narrow search for water, as I knew those birds did not frequently go far
away from it: there was not, however, a drop to be found anywhere, nor
the least sign of there having been any for a long time. What made the
circumstance of finding cockatoos here so surprising and unusual was,
that for the last two hundred miles we had never seen one at all. Where
then had these four birds come from? could it be that they had followed
under Flinders range from the south, and had strayed so far away from all
others of their kind, or had they come from some better country beyond
the desert by which I was surrounded, or how was that country to be
attained, supposing it to exist? Time only may reply to these queries,
but the occasion which prompted them was, to say the least,
extraordinary.

Towards night the sky became overcast with clouds, and as I saw that we
should have rain, I set to work with the boy and made a house of boughs
for our protection, but the man who accompanied us was too indolent to
take the same precaution, thinking probably that the rain would pass away
as it had often done before. In this, however, he was disappointed, for
the rain came down in torrents [Note 7 at end para.]--in an hour or two
the whole country was inundated, and he was taught a lesson of industry at
the expense of a thorough and unmitigated drenching.

[Note 7: This will not appear surprising, when the great amount of rain
which falls annually in some parts of Australia, is taken into account.
The Count Strzelecki gives 62.68 inches, as the average annual fall for
upwards of twenty years, at Port Macquarie.--At p. 193, that gentleman
remarks:--"The greatest fall of rain recorded in New South Wales, during
24 hours, amounted to 25 inches. (Port Jackson)."]

September 1.--This morning I sent the man back to the depot with the
pack-horse, with orders to the overseer to move back the party as rapidly
as possible towards Mount Arden, that by taking advantage of the rain we
might make a short route through the plains, and avoid the necessity of
going up among the rugged and stony watercourses of the hills.

This retrograde movement was rendered absolutely necessary from our
present position, for since we had wound through the hills to the north,
and come out upon the open plains, I saw that Flinders range had
terminated, and I now only wished to trace its northern termination so
far east as to enable me to see round it to the southward, as well as to
ascertain the character and appearance of the country to the north and to
the east; as soon therefore as the man had left, I proceeded at a course
of E. 35 degrees N. for a low and very distant elevation, apparently the
last of the hills to the eastward, this I named Mount Distance, for it
deceived us greatly as to the distance we were from it.

In passing through the plains, which were yesterday so arid and dry, I
found immense pools, nay almost large reaches of water lodged in the
hollows, and in which boats might have floated. Such was the result of
only an hour or two's rain, whilst the ground itself, formerly so hard,
was soft and boggy in the extreme, rendering progress much slower and
more fatiguing to the horses than it otherwise would have been. By
steadily persevering we made a stage of thirty-five miles, but were
obliged to encamp at night some miles short of the little height I had
been steering for.

During our ride we passed several dry watercourses at five, ten,
twenty-five, thirty, and thirty-five miles from our last encampment. The
last we halted upon with good feed for the horses, and rainwater lodged
everywhere. All these watercourses took their course to the north,
emptying and losing themselves in the plains. In the evening heavy
showers again fell, and the night set in very dark.

September 2.--After travelling seven miles we ascended Mount Distance,
and from it I could see that the hills now bore S. and S.E. and were
getting much lower, so that we were rapidly rounding their northern
extremity. To the north and north-east were seen only broken fragments of
table lands, similar to what I found near the lake to the north-west; the
lake itself, however, was nowhere visible, and I saw that I should have
another day's hard riding before I could satisfactorily determine its
direction. Upon descending I steered for a distant low haycock-like peak
in the midst of one of the table-topped fragments; from this rise I
expected the view would be decisive, and I named it Mount Hopeless.--From
Mount Distance it bore E. 25 degrees N.

Crossing many little stony ridges, and passing the channel of several
watercourses, I discovered a new and still more disheartening feature in
the country, the existence of brine springs. Hitherto we had found
brackish and occasionally salt water in some of the watercourses, but by
tracing them up among the hills, we had usually found the quality to
improve as we advanced, but now the springs were out in the open plains,
and the water poisoned at its very source.

Occasionally round the springs were a few coarse rushes, but the soil in
other respects was quite bare, destitute of vegetation, and thickly
coated over with salt, presenting the most miserable and melancholy
aspect imaginable. We were now in nearly the same latitude as that in
which Captain Sturt had discovered brine springs in the bed of the
Darling, and which had rendered even that river so perfectly salt that
his party could not make use of it.

September 2.--At thirty-five miles we reached the little elevation I had
been steering for, and ascended Mount Hopeless, and cheerless and
hopeless indeed was the prospect before us. As I had anticipated, the
view was both extensive and decisive. We were now past all the ranges;
and for three quarters of the compass, extending from south, round by
east and north, to west, the horizon was one unbroken level, except where
the fragments of table land, or the ridge of the lake, interrupted its
uniformity

The lake was now visible to the north and to the east; and I had at last
ascertained, beyond all doubt, that its basin, commencing near the head
of Spencer's Gulf, and following the course of Flinders range (bending
round its northern extreme to the southward), constituted those hills the
termination of the island of South Australia, for such I imagine it once
to have been. This closed all my dreams as to the expedition, and put an
end to an undertaking from which so much was anticipated. I had now a
view before me that would have damped the ardour of the most
enthusiastic, or dissipated the doubts of the most seeptical. To the
showers that fell on the evening of the 31st of August, we were solely
indebted for having been able to travel thus far; had there been much
more rain the country would have been impracticable for horses,--if less
we could not have procured water to have enabled us to make such a push
as we had done.

The lake where it was visible, appeared, as it had ever done, to be from
twenty-five to thirty miles across, and its distance from Mount Hopeless
was nearly the same. The hills to the S. and S. W. of us, seemed to
terminate on the eastern slopes, as abruptly as on the western; and from
the point where we stood, we could distinctly trace by the gum-trees, the
direction of watercourses emanating from among them, taking northerly,
north-easterly, easterly and south-easterly courses, according to the
point of the range they came from. This had been the case during the
whole of our route under Flinder's range. We had at first found the
watercourses going to the south of west, then west, north-west, north,
and now north-east, east and south-east. I had, at the same time,
observed all around this mountain mass, the appearance of the bed of a
large lake, following the general course of the ranges on every side, and
receiving, apparently, the whole drainage from them.

On its western, and north-western shores, I had ascertained by actual
examination, that its basin was a very low level, clearly defined, and
effectually inclosed by an elevated continuous sandy ridge, like the
outer boundary of a sea-shore, its area being of immense extent, and its
bed of so soft and yielding a nature, as to make it quite impossible to
cross it. All these points I had decided positively, and finally, as far
as regards that part of Lake Torrens, from near the head of Spencer's
Gulf, to the most north-westerly part of it, which I visited on the 14th
of August, embracing a course of fully 200 miles in its outline. I had
done this, too, under circumstances of great difficulty, toil, and
anxiety, and not without the constant risk of losing my horses, from the
fatigues and privations of the forced labours I was obliged to impose
upon them.

Having ascertained these particulars, and at so much hazard, relative to
Lake Torrens, for so great a part of its course, what conclusion could I
arrive at with regard to the character of its other half to the
north-east, and east of Flinders ranges, as seen from Mount Hopeless, and
Mount Serle points, nearly ninety miles apart! The appearances from the
ranges were similar; the trend of all the watercourses was to the same
basin, and undoubtedly that basin, if traced far enough, must be of
nearly the same level on the eastern, as on the western side of the
ranges. I had completely ascertained that Flinders range had terminated
to the eastward, the north-east, and the north; that there were no hills
or elevations connected with it beyond, in any of these directions, and
that the horizon every where was one low uninterrupted level.

With such data, and under such circumstances, what other opinion could I
possibly arrive at, than that the bed of Lake Torrens was nearly similar
in its character, and equally impracticable in its eastern, as its
western arm; and that, considering the difficulties I had encountered,
and the hazards I had subjected myself to, in ascertaining these points
so minutely on the western side, I could not be justified in renewing
those risks to the eastward, where the nature and extent of the
impediments were so self-evidently the same, and where there was not the
slightest hope of any useful result being attained by it.

I was now more than a hundred miles away from my party; and having sent
them orders to move back towards Mount Arden, I had no time to lose in
following them. With bitter feelings of disappointment I turned from the
dreary and cheerless scene around me, and pushing the horses on as well
as circumstances would allow, succeeded in retracing ten miles of my
course by a little after dark, having completed a stage of fully
forty-five miles during the day. Here there was tolerable good grass, and
plenty of water from the late rains, so that the horses were more
fortunate on this excursion than usual. I observed the variation to be 4
degrees E.

September 3.--Travelling early, we made a long stage of about forty
miles, and encamped with good grass and water. During the day we caught
four young emus in the plains, which we roasted for supper, being very
hungry, and upon short allowance, as I had not calculated upon remaining
out so long; the black boy enjoyed them exceedingly, and I managed to get
through one myself. They were about the size of full grown fowls.

September 4.--Making a very early start, we travelled twenty miles to the
watercourse, where we had encamped on the 31st of August, striking it a
little lower down. As I had left one or two trifles here, that I wished
to take on with me, I sent the black boy for them, telling him to follow
my tracks while I went slowly on. Upon finding that he did not overtake
me so soon as I expected, I halted for some time, but still he did not
come up, and I again proceeded; for as I had left my former track, I
concluded he had taken that line, and thus missed me. Steering,
therefore, across the hills, some of which were very stony and broken, I
made for the Mundy, which I reached very late in the evening, and found
the party safely encamped there.

I had rode fifty-five miles, and had been on horseback about thirteen
hours, so that both myself and horse were well nigh knocked up. The black
boy had not arrived, nor did he come up during the night.

The next day, becoming uneasy about his absence, I detained the party in
the camp, and sent Mr. Scott to search for him, who fortunately met him
almost immediately he had left us. The boy's detention had been
occasioned by the fagged condition of his horse, which prevented the
possibility of his overtaking me. As the day was wet, I did not move on,
but gave the party a day's rest, whilst I employed myself in meditating
upon the disappointment I had experienced, and the future steps it might
be most advisable to take to carry out the objects of the expedition. I
was still determined not to give up the undertaking,--but rather to
attempt to penetrate either to the eastward or westward, and to try to
find some other line of route that might afford a practicable opening to
the interior.

September 6.--Moving on the party early to-day, I pushed steadily towards
the depot near Mount Arden. In doing this, the favourable state of the
weather enabled us to keep more in the open plains, and thus both to
avoid a good deal of rough ground, and to shorten the road considerably.

Upon mustering the horses on the 9th, the overseer reported to me that
one of them was lying down with a broken leg, and upon going to examine
him, I found that it was one of the police horses kindly lent to the
expedition by the Governor. During the night some other horse had kicked
him and broken the thigh bone of the hind leg. The poor animal was in
great pain and unable to rise at all, I was therefore obliged to order
the overseer to shoot him. By this accident we lost a most useful horse
at a time when we could but ill spare one.

During our progress to the south we had frequently showers and
occasionally heavy rains, which lodging in puddles on the plains,
supplied us abundantly with water, and we were unusually fortunate enough
to obtain grass also. We were thus enabled to push on upon nearly a
straight course, which, after seven days of hard travelling, brought us
once more, on the afternoon of the 12th, to our old position at the depot
near Mount Arden. I had intended to have halted the party here for a day
or two, to recruit after the severe march we had just terminated; but the
weather was so favourable and the season so far advanced, that I did not
like to lose an hour in following out my prospective plans.

During the homeward journey from the Mundy, I had reflected much on the
position in which I was placed, and spent many an anxious hour in
deliberating as to the future. I had one of three alternatives to choose,
either to give up the expedition altogether;--to cross to the Murray to
the east and follow up that river to the Darling;--or by crossing over to
Streaky Bay to the westward, to endeavour to find some opening leading
towards the interior in that direction. After weighing well the
advantages and disadvantages of each (and there were many objections to
them all,) I determined upon adopting the last, for reasons which will be
found in my Report sent to the Governor, and to the Chairman of the
Northern Expedition Committee from Port Lincoln. [Note 8: Vide Chapter
IX.] My mind having thus been made up, I knew, from former experience,
that I had no time to lose, now that the weather was showery and
favourable, and that if I delayed at all in putting my plans into
execution I might probably be unable to cross from Mount Arden to
Streaky Bay. The distance between these two points was upwards of
two hundred miles, through a barren and desert region, in which,
though among high ranges, I had on a former occasion been unable to
discover any permanent water, and through which we could only hope
to pass by taking advantage of the puddles left by the late rains;
I therefore decided upon halting at the depot to rest the horses
even for a day; and the party had no sooner reached their encampment,
than, while one portion of the men took the horses up the watercourse to
water, the others were employed in digging up the stores we had buried
here, and in repacking and rearranging all the loads ready to move on
again immediately. By the evening all the arrangements were completed and
the whole party retired to rest much fatigued.




Chapter VIII.



PROCEED TO THE WESTWARD--CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN LAKE TORRENS
AND SPENCER'S GULF--BAXTER'S RANGE--DIVIDE THE PARTY--ROUTE TOWARDS PORT
LINCOLN--SCRUB--FRUITLESS SEARCH FOR WATER--SEND DRAY BACK FOR
WATER--PLUNDERED BY THE NATIVES--RETURN OF DRAY--DENSE SCRUB--REFUGE
ROCKS--DENSE SCRUB--SALT CREEK--MOUNT HILL--DENSE SCRUB--LARGE
WATERCOURSE--ARRIVE AT A STATION--RICH AND GRASSY VALLEYS--CHARACTER OF
PORT LINCOLN PENINSULA--UNABLE TO PROCURE SUPPLIES--ENGAGE A BOAT TO SEND
OVER TO ADELAIDE--BUY SHEEP.


September 13.--UPON leaving the depot this morning I was obliged to leave
behind a very large tarpaulin which we did not require, and which from
the extra weight we had last night put upon the drays, we could not
conveniently carry. Steering to the south-west we came at twelve miles to
the head of Spencer's Gulf, and crossed the channel connecting it with
Lake Torrens. At this place it is not very wide, but its bed like that of
the lake is soft and boggy, with salt water mixed with the mud. We had a
good deal of difficulty in getting over it, and one of the drays having
stuck fast, we had to unload it, carrying the things over on men's backs.
A few miles beyond this we halted for the night, where there was good
grass for the horses and plenty of water in the puddles around us. We
crossed principally during the day, a rather heavy sandy country, but
were now encamped in plains of a firmer and better character for the
drays.

September 14.--Travelling on through open plains with loose gravelly
stones, lying on their surface, we passed to the south of a small
table-topped hill, visible from Mount Arden, and very much resembling the
fragments of table land that I had met with to the north. This however
was somewhat larger than those, and though steep-sided as they were it
did not disclose the same white strata of chalk and gypsum, its formation
being more rocky and of rather a slaty character.

September 15.--Pushing on rapidly over extensive plains very similar to
those we had already crossed, we arrived, after a long stage, under
Baxter's range, and encamped upon a small channel coming from it, with
abundance of water and good grass. This range is high and rocky, rising
abruptly out of the plains, and distinctly visible from Mount Arden, from
which it is about fifty miles distant. Its formation is entirely
conglomerate of rather a coarse description. Among its rugged overhanging
steeps are many of the large red species of wallabie similar to those we
had seen to the north at the Scott. Two of these we shot. The latitude of
our camp at Baxter's range was 32 degrees 40 minutes S.

September 16.--Remained in camp to-day to rest the horses and prepare for
dividing the party, as from the great abundance of rain that had fallen,
I no longer apprehended a scarcity of water on the route to Streaky Bay,
and therefore decided upon sending my overseer across with the party,
whilst I myself took a dray down direct to Port Lincoln, on the west side
of Spencer's Gulf, to obtain additional supplies, with the intention of
joining them again at Streaky Bay.

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