16th Decbr 1865.
Melbourne
At your request I have the pleasure to forward you a short account of my late trip
beyond the Great Australian Bight.
The expedition which left Melbourne in Janry 1865 under my command had a double object
to effect – to explore the Country inland from the Bight, and to sink for fresh water
on some claims taken by Messrs. Degraves & Co. near to Fowler's Bay and the Head of
the Bight. I started early in the year for the purpose of taking advantage of the
earliest rains, but there was none untill the first week in April and although from
that time until the first week of October we had sufficient rain along the coast,
it did not penetrate into the interior beyond an average distance of 30 miles, but
I don't think that this Country suffered more than other parts of the Continent from
drought this year. While waiting for a general fall, I had wells sunk along the coast
between Wahganyab and the Bight, and got good water at Coymbra in some sand-hills
on the coast within 18 miles from the Bight, thus making the journey between Fowler's
Bay and the Head of the Bight comparatively easy for packing up the provisions. Having
waited untill June, I determined to take Mr. Hardwicke one of the party with me, and
to lead out 3 pack horses, as far as they would go, in the event of being unsuccessful
in finding water, and to return without them on our tracks, hiding water and flour
at alternate camps going out.
Leaving one man in charge of provisions and remaining horses at the Bight, I started
with Mr. Hardwicke, on the 23rd of June, from a small limestone hole named Kŭtnã
which I had found in 1862 and to which place I had packed out a few gallons of water.
From here I went a course about N. 60° W. untill the 29th June when having entered scrubby country the evening before I
turned north to get over some small hills covered with timber as myall, Sandalwood
and Sheyaks.
The next day the horses not being able to go further and having exhausted our stock
of water we were compelled to retrace our steps, the whole distance we had traversed
without finding any surface-water.
The chief feature of the Country passed over as shown by the accompanying tracing
is the immense plain which I have called the
Nūllarbor
Plains from it's being destitute of any trees – which, commencing a few miles from
the Coast extends such a long distance that we went 150 miles from the Head of the
Bight before we entered a dissimilar Country. This plain, within 40 miles from the
Coast, is in general well covered with the saltbushes, "
" and "
" which grew from 1 to 2 ft high, and in places is weIl grassed – the ground is undulating,
and the higher portions generally covered with
. Throughout the whole plain basins like clay-pans from a few feet to 2 or 3 acres
occur in which, within 60 miles of the Coast Samphire grows, but after 100 miles on
our tracks they were thickly covered with small trees
and
.
The rock immediately under the surface is limestone and throughout a large portion
of the Country we met numerous caves the air from which at daytime, especially in
hot weather issues forth with great force – the noise from one we could hear 200 yards
away and at the entrance the blast took our hats off. We remarked that at night the
current of air is into the caves. From their number the portion marked in particular
with "caves" seems to be composed of blocks of limestone enclosing large vacant places.
No doubt water is in some of these caves but in the few we examined the numerous fissures
prevented us from reaching the lowest levels. The appearance of the small basins clothed
with timber have a pleasant effect; often these cannot be discerned untill quite close
to the basins, in others they considerably relieve the monotony of the Plain. The
soil from the commencement of these basins appears gradually to improve. Saltbush
gives place to
and the grass becomes thicker and greener the proximity of timber most probably being
the cause. The soil on the timbered hills is a very red sand, and wherever any open
patches were, the grass looked weIl; a few feet below we found limestone. The Sheyaks were as fine any I have seen in South Australia
and I believe from the number of Kangaroos, Parrots, and remains of Natives' fires
we were not far from water when we were obliged to return. The latitude of 'Peelunibee'
was taken by observation, but that of the termination of our trip is by calculation
as in consequence of the almost certainty of having to leave extras behind I did not
take my sextant out.
I remain dear Sir
Yours truly,
E. A Delisser
I have not yet received the information promised me by Mr. Selwyn to whom I gave the
few fossils I carried away – but the whole Country is a Iimestone formation – tertiary.
Granite was found about 30 feet at a well 2 miles from Pindubba,
or about 14 ms
N.N.E. of Fowler's Bay.
Kŭtnã is about 40' N.W. of Yeer Cumban Cowie, at the head of the Bight.
