Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia | Page 5

but
when we were compelled to ride the same horses without intermission,
it exposed us to great misery and even danger, as well as the risk of
losing our provisions and stores. Our pack-saddles had consequently to
be altered to the dimensions of the bullocks; and, having to use the new
ones for breaking in, they were much injured, even before we left Mr.
Campbell's to commence our journey. The statements of what a bullock
was able to carry were very contradictory; but in putting 250 lbs. upon
them the animals were overloaded; and my experience has since shown
me that they cannot, continually day after day, carry more than 150 lbs.
for any distance. The difficulties which we met with for the first three
weeks, were indeed very trying:--the loading of bullocks and horses
took generally two hours; and the slightest accident, or the cargo
getting loose during the day's journey, frequently caused the bullocks to
upset their loads and break the straps, and gave us great trouble even in
catching them again:--at night, too, if we gave them the slightest
chance, they would invariably stray back to the previous camp; and we
had frequently to wait until noon before Charley and Brown, who
generally performed the office of herdsman in turns, recovered the
ramblers. The consequences were that we could proceed only very
slowly, and that, for several months, we had to keep a careful watch
upon them throughout the night. The horses, with some few exceptions,
caused us less trouble at the commencement of our journey than
afterwards, when our hobbles were worn out and lost, and, with the
exception of one or two which in turns were tethered in the
neighbourhood of the camp in order to prevent the others from straying,
they were necessarily allowed to feed at large. It may readily be
imagined that my anxiety to secure our horses was very great, because
the loss of them would have put an immediate stop to my
undertaking.--But I hasten to enter on the narrative of our journey.

CHAPTER I

LEAVE THE LAST STATION--FOSSIL REMAINS--DARLING
DOWNS--ENTER THE WILDERNESS--WATERLOO

PLAINS--THE CONDAMINE--HEAVY RAINS--CHARLEY'S
MISCONDUCT--MURPHY AND CALEB LOST--KENT'S
LAGOON--COAL--MURPHY AND CALEB FOUND AGAIN.
It was at the end of September, 1844, when we completed the necessary
preparations for our journey, and left the station of Messrs. Campbell
and Stephens, moving slowly towards the farthest point on which the
white man has established himself. We passed the stations of Messrs.
Hughs and Isaacs and of Mr. Coxen, and arrived on the 30th September,
at Jimba, [It is almost always written Fimba, in the Journal; but I have
corrected it to Jimba.--(ED.)] where we were to bid farewell to
civilization.
These stations are established on creeks which come down from the
western slopes of the Coast Range--here extending in a north and south
direction--and meander through plains of more or less extent to join the
Condamine River; which--also rising in the Coast Range, where the
latter expands into the table-land of New England--sweeps round to the
northward, and, flowing parallel to the Coast Range, receives the whole
drainage from the country to the westward of the range. The
Condamine forms, for a great distance, the separation of the sandstone
country to the westward, from the rich basaltic plains to the eastward.
These plains, so famous for the richness of their pasture, and for the
excellency of the sheep and cattle depastured upon them, have become
equally remarkable as the depositaries of the remains of extinct species
of animals, several of which must have been of a gigantic size, being
the Marsupial representatives of the Pachydermal order of other
continents.
Mr. Isaacs' station is particularly rich in these fossil remains; and they
have been likewise found in the beds and banks of Mr. Hodgson's and
of Mr. Campbell's Creeks, and also of Oaky Creek. At Isaacs' Creek,
they occur together with recent freshwater shells of species still living
in the neighbouring ponds, and with marly and calcareous concretions;
which induces me to suppose that these plains were covered with large
sheets of water, fed probably by calcareous springs connected with the
basaltic range, and that huge animals, fond of water, were living, either
on the rich herbage surrounding these ponds or lakes, or browsing upon
the leaves and branches of trees forming thick brushes on the slopes of
the neighbouring hills. The rise of the country, which is very generally

supposed to have taken place, was probably the cause of the
disappearance of the water, and of the animals becoming extinct, when
its necessary supply ceased to exist. Similar remains have been found
in Wellington Valley, and in the Port Phillip District, where, probably,
similar changes have taken place.
The elevation of Darling Downs--about 1800 to 2000 feet, according to
the