Book-bot.com - read famous books online for free

Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 1 by Thomas Mitchell
page 79 of 476 (16%)
by thunder, broke over us in the night.

December 10.

The morning was cloudy; and the rain, which we anxiously looked for, at
length came down, and soon checked the progress of the flames. On this
account, as well as on that of the want of water, it afforded
providential relief to us, for the hills we were about to cross had been
all in a blaze during the night. Trees lay smoking as we passed; several
gullies were difficult for the passage of carts, and detained the party
in its ascent.

CROSS THE TURI RANGE.

But at length we reached the top of this pass, and crossed the range,
which appeared to be continuous, thus separating the basin of the Peel
from that of the waters falling to Liverpool plains. We were agreeably
surprised to find that the opposite side of these hills, and the whole
face of the country beyond them, presented a very different appearance
from that through which we had passed. A gently sloping extremity lay
before us for eight miles in the direction of our proposed route, and we
were relieved from all the difficulties of crossing gullies, which had
impeded our ascent on the other side of the range. We encamped at some
waterholes, where this slope terminated in an extensive forest flat; over
the whole of which, as my sable guide informed me, there was no other
water at that time.

The grass on this side of the hills was good: and almost all the timber
consisted of box (eucalyptus). The heights which we had crossed appeared
to extend from the Liverpool range to the northward, as far as could be
DigitalOcean Referral Badge