Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia Volume II Part 9

DISTRICTS OF BABBAGE AND VICTORIA.

Three extensive districts of good country were also found in the course of this expedition, the Province of Victoria, before alluded to, the district of Babbage, and another adjacent to Perth, to which I have not affixed a name.

The district of Babbage is situated on and near the river Gascoyne, which stream discharges itself in the central part of the main that fronts Shark Bay, and may indeed almost be recorded as the central point of the western coast of Australia; thus at once occupying the most commanding position in Shark Bay and one of the most interesting points on that coast; it is moreover the key to a very fine district which is the only one in that vast inlet that appears well adapted to the purposes of colonization.

COAST OF SHARK BAY.

Immediately to the south of the southern mouth of this river commences a line of shoals which at low-water are nearly dry, extending to a distance of from two to four miles from the coast and running with scarcely any intermission round the bay: except at high-water it is therefore impossible to approach the greater part of the coast, even in the smallest boat, unless by tracking it over those flats, which proceeding is not unattended with danger, for, if it comes on to blow at all hard, owing to the shoalness of the water, the whole of them becomes a ma.s.s of broken billows. I feel convinced it was owing to this circ.u.mstance that the navigators who had previously visited this bay left so large a portion of its coast unexplored.

The shoals in the vicinity of the mouth of this river, as well as those in the river itself, have many snags upon them; and on the coast of Bernier Island, opposite to the main, we found the remains of large trees which had been washed down the river and had then been drifted across the bay. It was that circ.u.mstance which first convinced me that a large river existed hereabouts, and induced me so minutely to examine the coast.

This occurrence of driftwood in the neighbourhood of large rivers is a circ.u.mstance unknown upon the south-western sh.o.r.es of this continent. I however observed it in Prince Regent's River and other rivers to the north, as well as in the Arrowsmith. This latter however is the most southern river in which I have remarked it, and it certainly is an evidence of the existence of timber of a much lighter description than has. .h.i.therto been known in this part of the continent.

MOUTHS OF THE GASCOYNE.

The southern mouth of the Gascoyne is however completely free from shoals, and has seven feet water on the bar at low tide. There is also a channel in it which has never less than this depth of water for about four miles from its mouth, after which it is only navigable for small boats in the dry season, and that merely for a short distance.

The greatest difficulty which presents itself in entering the southern mouth arises from what in America are termed snags, that is, large trees, the roots of which are firmly planted in the bed of the river, whilst the branches project up the stream, and are likely to pierce any boat in its pa.s.sage down. These snags are however more to be feared at the time of high-water than at any other period, for they have generally become fixed upon shoals as they originally descended the river, and at low water can easily be seen.

The northern mouth of the Gascoyne is more difficult of entrance than its southern one, being narrower and more shoal. I still however think that at high water it could be entered by small craft; but as my examination of it was hurried and imperfect from our being pressed for provisions at the time I was there, the opinion I have given above must be received with caution.

Our visit to this river took place at the close of a season which had been preceded by the driest one known since the occupation of the western coasts by Europeans. There was consequently but little fresh water in the bed of the river, and this only in small pools; but the breadth of its main channel (for it sometimes had several) was where I measured it upwards of three hundred yards, and this measurement was made in a part which was by no means the widest.

THE COUNTRY ADJACENT.

The bed of the river was composed of fine white sand. The country had a gentle slope from the interior, and no land of any great elevation was visible from the farthest point I attained, distant about fifteen miles from the coast.

Plains of a rich reddish loam bordered the river on each side. These were occasionally broken by low, gently-rounded hills, composed of the same soil. Freshwater lagoons, frequented by wild-fowl, were found in several places; and during the course of my walks, which extended for several miles in various directions, I saw no termination to this good land except on approaching the sea, where the salt marshes always commenced; but along the southern bank of the river, to the point where its mouth actually disembogued into the open bay, the land was of a fertile description: the country, even in the dry season, during which we were there, being covered with rich gra.s.s.

I ought here to state that this river is the most southern one that I have ascertained to be deficient in that universal characteristic of all those in the south-west of this continent: an estuary. I must observe that I have not seen the mouths of three or four of the rivers before enumerated, and cannot therefore say that some of them may not terminate in estuaries; but the Gascoyne discharges its waters by two mouths of considerable magnitude, between which lies Babbage Island, the southern mouth being in lat.i.tude 24 degrees 57 minutes.

This is also the most southern river on the western side of this continent where the rise and fall of tide is sufficiently great to exercise any influence upon it relatively to the purposes of navigation.

Hence it would appear that the presence of estuaries at the mouths of rivers on this coast is in some way connected with the amount of tidal elevation at the points where they are found. The rise and fall here was about five and a half feet; but there is only one full tide in twenty-four hours. The first tide rises to a certain point, and it has scarcely commenced to ebb, ere the second comes slowly in, so that, to a careless observer, only one tide is perceptible.

PROVINCE OF VICTORIA.

The province of Victoria is situated between the parallels of 27 degrees 30 minutes and 29 degrees 30 minutes south lat.i.tude; its most considerable river is the Hutt, which disembogues into a large estuary. A few miles above the estuary the river separates into two branches, both of which were running strong at the time we pa.s.sed them.

Previously to our reaching the Hutt our boats had all been wrecked; I had therefore no opportunity of examining whether the estuary of this river was navigable or not; from its size however I should be inclined to the affirmative. The other princ.i.p.al streams which drain this district are the Buller, and the Murchison.

One remarkable feature in the province of Victoria is that the carboniferous series is here developed throughout a tract of Western Australia extending in lat.i.tude from the bottom of Geographe Bay to near Cape Cuvier, and which I have carefully examined. The tract above alluded to is the only one in which I have yet found the rocks belonging to this series: this circ.u.mstance therefore imparts a very high degree of interest to the district in question.

Within a few weeks after my return from the province of Victoria applications from settlers were made to the Government of Western Australia to permit them to occupy a district which had been so highly spoken of; this application was however unsuccessful, but an expedition was subsequently sent there to ascertain if there was a navigable entrance to the Hutt River. In this object the expedition was unsuccessful, but the vessel touched at the Abrolhos Islands and at some parts of the adjacent coast, including Port Grey.*

(*Footnote. See above. [The coast to the eastward of the Abrolhos has been since examined by H.M.'s surveying vessel the Beagle, Captain Wickham, R.N., and while these sheets were pa.s.sing through the press an account of the survey of Port Grey, under the appellation of Champion Bay, appeared in the Nautical Magazine for July 1841 page 443, from which periodical it has been copied into Appendix B at the end of this volume.

ED.])

MR. MOORE'S JOURNAL. MR. MOORE'S VOYAGE TO HOUTMAN'S ABROLHOS AND PORT GREY.

An account of some of the places visited was subsequently published in the Perth Gazette, being contained in extracts from the journal of G.F.

Moore, Esquire, the Queen's Advocate at Perth, who sailed with the expedition; and as Mr. Moore's description contains several points of novelty and interest these extracts are again transcribed below.

EXPEDITION TO THE NORTHWARD.

After Captain Grey had the misfortune to have his boats wrecked in Gantheaume Bay, having started thence with his party and walked to Perth, he reported that he had pa.s.sed over extensive tracts of fertile country in the neighbourhood of Moresby's Flat-topped Range, where there are several rivers, one of which (the largest) he had called the Hutt River, after His Excellency the Governor. His Excellency having directed the Champion schooner to proceed to explore the coast with a view to ascertain whether there was any practicable entrance to the river, and whether there was any harbour, shelter, or anchorage in that neighbourhood, also what sort of anchorage there was about the Houtman's Abrolhos, it appeared very desirable that such an opportunity should be taken advantage of to obtain, at the same time, as much information as circ.u.mstances would permit as to the nature and quality of the soil and its general capabilities with reference to its eligibility as a district to be occupied by settlers. With this view G.F. Moore, Esquire, embarked on the trip.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ABROLHOS ISLANDS.

The Abrolhos. Lat.i.tude by a good sight on sh.o.r.e, 288 degrees 45 minutes, subsequently corrected to 288 degrees 40 minutes.

That part of the Abrolhos where we anch.o.r.ed seems to consist of a number of small islets, perhaps 10 or 12, lying something in the form of an irregularly shaped horse's shoe, extending for a s.p.a.ce of perhaps 20 miles in a north and south direction.

These islets, which are raised only from 10 to 12 feet above the level of the sea, are a mere ma.s.s of coral and sh.e.l.ls with a very small variety of plants struggling to establish themselves upon some of them. I was rather surprised to find a few plants of the common groundsel on one of the barest. It is not improbable that these islets are upon the outer rim of the crater of a volcano, and that not only the entire outer rim, but also a large s.p.a.ce, both interior and exterior, will eventually be elevated.

Nothing can exceed the beauty of the different sorts of coral as seen under the clear smooth water. We broke of many specimens of the branch- or tree-coral, which seemed to be in full vigour of life and activity.

These islets appear to be a favourite resort of seals, many of which we saw, but of the sort called hair-seals. The sailors knocked many of them upon the head with clubs as they lay sleeping on the sh.o.r.es. One of these afforded much sport, though rather of a barbarous sort if one had taken time to think at all on the subject. Sleeping on the brink of a small lagoon in the interior of one of these islands, he was roused by the approaching footsteps of his enemy. Seeing the man close to him, with upraised club over his head, he dropped into the water. This was so shallow as not to protect him from the stones that were hurled at him from all sides, and so small that he was completely surrounded. Finding his retreat cut off he boldly stood up and seemed deliberately to scan the most practicable mode of breaking his way through us all, but he was so incessantly plied with stones as entirely to distract him. When a well-aimed blow struck him he wreaked his vengeance on the stone, and, diving after it to the bottom, gnashed upon it with his teeth. At last a gun was brought by one of the party and a well-directed shot under the ear laid him dead. Rock oysters of a large size and delicious flavour were found in great abundance. Range of thermometer 67 to 82 degrees.

On Sunday the 12th continued to explore the several islands; unable to land upon the first we approached on account of a reef which ran all round it. This was one which lay at the north-east extremity of the Horseshoe. It was high and sandy, but with some vegetation on the surface, and we saw many large seals sleeping on the sandy beach. After this, visited five or six in succession, all of the same formation, some being mere ma.s.ses of loose coral and dead sh.e.l.ls.

SINGULAR CORAL FORMATIONS.

In pa.s.sing from island to island we had many opportunities of observing the different formation and shape of several species of coral; some stood in ma.s.ses of the brain-stone and c.o.c.ks...o...b..coral, some like petrified sponge, some like fans, some again of the branch-coral interlaced and intertwined in every direction; again, some broad flat ma.s.ses lying layer over layer, like huge sea-lichens, again many presented the appearance of a fungus or great sea-mushroom, with a broad-spreading head springing from a small thick base. It is not a little singular that many of the growing islets which are nearly level with the surface of the water have a similar form, not rising from the bottom with a perpendicular side, but with broad overhanging heads resting upon a small base. In many places we pa.s.sed over some of these isolated sea-mushrooms, upon which there was barely water for a small boat, where one step over the ledge would be in the deep sea, and you might see the hollows underneath as if looking under an umbrella. Birds were abundant on most of the isles, and on two of them were hawks' nests, raised to the height of four feet by an acc.u.mulation of sticks, stones, and sh.e.l.ls. This day there was but little breeze; the thermometer ranged from 76 to 86 degrees.

COAST UNDER THE MENAI HILLS.

Sat.u.r.day morning January 25.

Stood in close along the sh.o.r.e opposite to the Table Hill and the Menai Hills, and examined the coast from the rigging. There are two openings of rivers laid down in the chart, that to the south being the larger, and both nearly abreast of Table Hill and only a few miles distant from one another; and besides these Captain Grey had marked down in another chart a considerable river, with a large estuary, close to the north of the Menai Hills, which he had called the Hutt River. As we were just on that part of the coast where all these are laid down we were the more anxious and eager. We saw three openings on the west range, but in truth very small, and after anchoring nearly opposite to the northern one we went in the boat directly for it. There was a continuous sandy beach the whole way across it, and the surf was running high, so that it was not very easy to land.

LAND ON THE COAST.

Just as we were considering about how to effect a landing we observed a number of natives on the hills and behind the beach, evidently watching our motions. As we stood along the beach, looking for a landing-place, they followed and became more bold; they shouted and made gestures, which were certainly not like those of encouragement; but still as we pulled on, they followed, till we counted forty-nine men, but they appeared to have left their spears behind them. Finding this, we thought it well to parley with them, when we backed in close to the sh.o.r.e, holding up our hands making signs of peace, and calling out in the Swan River language that we were friends and would give them bread. I flung apiece of biscuit on the beach, and some waded into the water and threw in their fur belts and other ornaments, when we commenced a system of barter immediately.

They had no spears and few throwing sticks; nor had they with them either cloaks, or hammers, or s.h.i.+elds, or any other weapon that we could see.

They seemed to like the bread very much, for they followed us for many miles, still making signs to land, but the surf was so high we could not venture in the face of so many of them. At last, having pa.s.sed the opening of the second river, and having come to a smooth place, I jumped out upon the beach and was soon followed by the Captain.

INTERVIEW WITH NATIVES.

They evinced a considerable deal of uneasiness at first, and looked with much jealousy at the gun as something suspicious. They wished me to part with it, but I sat down and intimated that I would keep it on the ground beside me. I addressed them in the Swan River native language, and they spoke much in return, but I must say that our language seemed to be mutually unintelligible. At last, by watching their mode of intonation, and accommodating myself to their dialect, I managed to succeed a little better. In this way they understood my inquiries for water, and their answer at last was precisely in the Swan River language, "Gaipbi jeral,"

(water to the north.) Their great anxiety at first seemed to be to know whether we were women. In answer I pointed to our beards, when they pulled their beards and said, "Nanya patta," by which name I have heard it called at Swan River also. Then they pointed to some young lads in the boat and asked were they women. No; I said they were "golambiddy" (boys) which they seemed to understand. I saw them eating the fruit of the mesembryanthemum (the Hottentot fig) but they did not understand either of the names used for it at Swan River, golboys, or mejaruk. They called it by a different name. After a little they volunteered to take us to water, and we walked along the beach with them, cl.u.s.tering about us with a show of friends.h.i.+p that was even more familiar than agreeable. One of them repeatedly asked me were we dead? at least so I understood him. At length we approached the opening of the river, in which they indicated the water to be, but how were our great hopes disappointed when they led us to a little hole sc.r.a.ped in the bed of the river containing about a pint of water. We afterwards saw several other holes of the same sort with more or less water in them; and it will be well to bear in mind that some of these were not fifty yards from the beach, and it is quite possible that if they were dug out a good supply of water might be obtained.

ADVANCE INTO THE COUNTRY.

They then wished us to go up the valley of the river with them, but we ascended a high hill to the north side, being desirous of getting a view and in hopes of seeing the large estuary pencilled on the chart by Captain Grey. From this hill we had an extensive view of all the country to the west and north of the Menai Hills. The whole face of the country looked gra.s.sy, and thinly sprinkled over with what may be acacias, probably the mangart, or raspberry-jam-scented wood, as it had just that appearance, and a kily which we had got from the natives in the morning was made of that wood. But there was not even a drop of water visible, nor any sign of a large river, though this is just the position a.s.signed to the Hutt River; but certainly it is quite possible that nearer the source of these rivers there may be larger reservoirs and more water, which may be to a great degree absorbed before it reaches the sea, as we find this to be the case with many of the rivers of this country. In the meantime the natives seemed dissatisfied about our going on the hills, and offended, and were very importunate with us to go down to the low grounds in the valley. "Koa yeka" ("Come this way," as I understood it) was their constant call; and when at last we did consent, as we were going down the side of a steep, rocky limestone hill, I could not help feeling that we were very much in their power. Looking round suddenly upon one occasion I observed a man making gestures with his feet at the head of the Captain, as if showing to the rest how he could knock him down easily. The man seemed uneasy at being detected, but I laughed it off as a joke, which probably it was after all; but their manner seemed to have changed considerably. When we arrived at the level ground they became very urgent that we should "sit down in the shade," "maloka nineka" (a Swan River man would say "malok nginnow"). They caught hold of us and pulled us, and wanted very much to get the guns from us. Thinking it most prudent to return to the boat we turned with that intention, when they did everything they could, short of using force, to prevent us. They stood in our way, they caught us in their arms, they pushed us, they tried to s.n.a.t.c.h or seize our guns, but we persisted steadily and good-humouredly to make our way back towards the boat. One old man wished me to approach the brink of the high ground overlooking the bed of the river, but seeing that it was a perpendicular precipice to which he was leading, or rather pus.h.i.+ng me, I suddenly clasped him with one arm and walked away from it, at which the rest set up a shout of laughter. His intentions may have been perfectly friendly but I certainly did not feel confident that they were so. I intimated that when we got to the boat we should give them some more bread; and I felt that the knowledge that the bread was in the boat was likely to be very much in our favour and to contribute mainly to our safety. My fear was that they had sent for their spears and wished to detain us till they came. However we arrived at the beach where the boat was standing outside of the surf waiting for us.

RETURN TO THE VESSEL.

On our return to the s.h.i.+p I proposed that we should now touch at the more northern river where we were deterred from landing by their first appearance. We went therefore to the mouth of the river, which is completely blocked up by sandhills, with two or three small gaps through which water appeared to have made its way at some time; but the entire of the bed of the river, which was only a few yards wide, was covered with growing samphire. There were two or three small pools of very salt water above this, but no fresh water visible. We took a hasty view from a high sandhill. The interior, where we could see anything of it, looked gra.s.sy, and there was some gra.s.s even on the sandhills near the beach; but our view was very limited and hurried. We had no sooner returned to the boat than we saw a party coming along the beach about a quarter of a mile away, and another party on the top of the hill above, where we first saw them and where we supposed their weapons to have been left. They shouted, we went on board.

SAIL TO THE SOUTHWARD. PORT GREY.