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Sammlung Perthes Archiv, SPA ARCH PGM 328, Forschungsbibliothek Gotha der Universität Erfurt. 77.07.00Preferred Citation:
H. Stuart Carey to Ferdinand von Mueller, 1877-07. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id//letters/1870-9/1877/77-07-00-final.odt>, accessed June 10, 2026
[…]
of sandy beach where it is possible to land and get goods so landed on to the top
of the Cliffs by means of derricks in two lifts
1
Four pages of text missing. The text begins on a page numbered '5'. This portion of
the letter was evidently forwarded by M to August Petermann, who annotated it: 'erh.
1 Okt. 1877' [received 1 October 1877]. The letter is dated to July 1877 based on
the estimated time it would have taken it to reach M and then to travel from Melbourne
to Gotha.
We also found right through a great many
emu
, and where they & the other birds on the Cliffs get water in the summer I cannot say, there are a
great many rockholes that would give them water in the rainy months —
At Eyres Sandpatch (as the water in the Sandpatches mentioned by Mr Eyre are now called)
there are three Sandpatches that contain fresh water one 11 miles from the East end
of the Culver Cliffs the next (or middle one) 15 miles, and the other 19 miles — There
are two of these shewn by Mr Eyre but I do not know if he saw the other At what I
call the East end of the Culver Cliffs — they recede from the sea and at the back
of E Sandpatch they are 6 to 7 miles in North, from there on they gradually draw away
from the coast line till at 55 miles east of Eyre's Sandpatch they are 22 miles in
north (That is 70 miles from where they leave the sea)
This part of them is called the "Hampton Range", and I will now from this call them
the "Range" so you will know what I am referring to
Between the "Range" and the sea up to Eyre's Sandpatch, is broken sandhills covered
with dense Mallee, Tea Tree, & coast scrub — There is then under the "Range" a large
Samphire Flat & a few grassy patches the beginning of the
plain
that gradually from this point as you go east, opens out till it becomes 5 to 6 miles
wide — 55 miles east of E. S. Patch, further on I do not yet know.
On this plain there is nothing but Salt bush and a tree I do not know very much resembling
"Raspberry Jam"
but the wood is different, being all of a whitish colour — They are about 15 ft in
height. I of course have some leaves, bark &c for you next parcel —
2
MS annotation by M: 'odored Acacia'.
In Feby there was no sign of grass being perfectly bare and parched looking, but
I am told by the Messrs. Kennelly that grass soon springs after rain
The soil is from a reddish to chocolate colour & of a clayey nature, which would I
think be boggy after rain
Between this "plain" and the coast some 15 or 16 miles, it is nothing but a dense
thicket of Mallee Tea Tree & Scrub — But along the coast hills there are some patches
of grass and in at the back of the Sandpatches — 10 to 20 chains wide & some 30 or
40 chains in length, also one large patch 49 miles from E S Patch on the coast 2 miles
long & containing about 160 acres of real good feed — The coast hills are with the
exception of these grassy patches, covered in dense scrub and just at the back 5 to
10 chains from the sea, the Mallee flourishes in all its vigour.
Running parallel to the coast & at the distance of 20 to 60 chains there is a range
of Sandhills between which & the coast hills there is a valley, in this valley there
are a few Samphire Flats, and in many of these the limestone crops out, and strange
to say in some places form Rockholes, as though they were just placed there so that
the natives could hunt the coast after rain, for though there are a great many large
holes along the face of the "Hampton Range" they are too far in to be of much use
for the coast hunting.
The Mallee thickets are literally swarming with "Tamars"
and any amount of rats &c I have seen no Kangaroo in the country below the "Range",
but stranger still a
good
many
"
Emu
" & any amount of "
bronze
wing
pigeons
"
3
A species of wallaby.
Along the coast there are "D
ucks
", "
steamers
" (or Divers) (cannot fly) and plenty of sea birds, but what puzzles me, is, where do
the "
Ducks
" & "
Steamers
" get water?
We have sunk in 12 places along the coast so far, one in a "
sandpatch
" but always salt water, or we would come to solid Rock that was impossible to get
through with the means we had
The coast 8 miles East of Eyre's Sandpatch becomes Rocky and continues so to here
(60 miles E of ESP) with a good many breaks of 20 to 40 chains in length, where I
believe things could be landed, with care of course — The rock runs out in a sort
of flat ledge in some places 2 to 3 chains — which is bare at low tide but covered
with the rise which is 4 to 5ft
There also
appears
to be a great many reefs or banks off shore that break the sea & prevent any thing
of a break on the shore, with the exceptions of some few places where a heavy sea
runs in.
About 50 miles East of E Sandpatch the coast is very low in places only […]
ft above the sea and runs in 5 to 10 cha[ins]
to the foot of the low range of sandhills I mentioned before —
4
MS damaged, number missing.
5
MS damaged.
With regard to the weather I will be able to tell your
better in a future letter when I have seen more of the winter months & also heard
from the Messrs Kennelly & McGill there
experience since 5 or 6 years —
6
you?
7
their?
Hoping you will find something amongst this that will interest you I must conclude
and hope you will not think I am forgetful of you if months go over without a parcel
or letter as I am in an out of the way part of the world and not on the most comfortable
trip [im]aginable
for despatch of letters &c
8
MS damaged.
In order to have some dinner
Damper, tea & meat
—
I beg to remain Sir
Yours truly in Respect
H. Stuart Carey
To Baron von Mueller
&c &c
Melbourne
9
MS annotation by M: 'von dem Landmesser der neuen Telegraphenlinie längst der Great
Bight' [from the surveyor of the new telegraph line along the Great Bight].