The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888 | Page 2

prominently to
the fore, and bestow upon them the meed of history.
In compiling this book I have had the sympathy of many gentlemen,
both in this and the neighbouring colonies, and my best thanks are due
to them, especially as, owing to it, I have been able to make the work
perfectly authentic, and I trust, a thoroughly reliable work of reference.
SYDNEY, 1888.
ERNEST FAVENC.

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION

Part I Rumours of the existence of a
Southern Continent in the Sixteenth
Century--JAVE and JAVE LA GRANDE--Authentic Discoveries and
visits of the early Navigators--Torres sails between New Guinea and
Terra Australis--Voyage of the DUYFHEN in 1606--Dirk Hartog on
the West Coast, his inscribed plate--Restored by Vlaming--Afterwards
by Hamelin--Nuyts on the South Coast--Wreck of the BATAVIA on
Houtman's Abrolhos--Mutiny of Cornelis--Tasman's second
voyage--Dampier with the Buccaneers--Second Voyage in the
ROEBUCK--Last visit of the Dutch--Captain Cook--Flinders; his
theory of a Dividing Strait--Plans for exploring the Interior--His
captivity--Captain King--Concluding remarks.

Part II The Continent of Australia--Its
peculiar formation--The coast range and
the highest peaks thereof--The coastal rivers--The inland rivers--
Difference of vegetation on the tableland and on the coast--Exception
to the rule--Valuable timber of the coast districts--Animals common to
the whole continent--Some birds the same--Distinct habits of
others--The Australian native and his unknown origin--Water
supply--Upheaval.

PART I LAND EXPLORATION

Chapter I
[1788-1803]
Expeditions of Governor Phillip--Mouth of the Hawkesbury found in
Broken Bay--Second expedition and ascent of the river--Expedition of
Captain Tench--Discovery of the Nepean River--Lieutenant Dawes sent
to cross the Nepean, and to try to penetrate the mountains--Attempt by
Governor Phillip to establish the confluence of the Nepean and
Hawkesbury-- Failure--The identity settled by Captain Tench--Escaped
convicts try to reach China--Captain Paterson finds and names the
Grose River--Hacking endeavours to cross the Blue Mountains--The
lost cattle found on the Cow Pastures--Bass attempts the passage of the
range--Supposed settlement of a white race in the interior--Attempt of
the convicts to reach it-- James Wilson--His life with the
natives--Discovery of the Hunter River by Lieutenant Shortland.
Chapter II
[1813-1824]
The great drought of 1813--The development of country by stocking--
Blaxland, Lawson, and Wentworth cross the Blue Mountains--Reach
the head of coast waters and return--Surveyor Evans sent out--Crosses
the watershed and finds the Macquarie River--Construction of road
over the range--Settlement of Bathurst--Visit of Governor
Macquarie--Second expedition under Evans--Discovery of the Lachlan
River--Surveyor-General Oxley explores the Lachlan--Finds the river
terminates in swamps--Returns by the Macquarie--His opinion of the
interior--Second expedition down the Macquarie--Disappointment
again--Evans finds the Castlereagh--Liverpool Plains
discovered--Oxley descends the range and finds Port Macquarie--
Returns to Newcastle-Currie and Ovens cross the

Morumbidgee--Brisbane Downs and Monaroo--Hume and Hovell cross
to Port Phillip--Success of the expedition.
Chapter III
[to 1830]
Settlement of Moreton Bay--Cunningham in the field again--His
discoveries of the Gwydir, Dumaresque, and Condamine Rivers--The
Darling Downs, and Cunningham's Gap through the range to Moreton
Bay--Description of the Gap--Cunningham's death--Captain Sturt--His
first expedition to follow down the Macquarie--Failure of the
river--Efforts of Sturt and Hume to trace the channel--Discovery of
New Year's Creek (the Bogan)--Come suddenly on the
Darling--Dismay at finding the water salt--Retreat to Mount
Harris--Meet the relief party--Renewed attempt down the Castlereagh
River--Trace it to the Darling--Find the water in that river still
salt--Return--Second expedition to follow the
Morumbidgee--Favourable anticipations--Launch of the boats and
separation of the party--Unexpected junction with the
Murray--Threatened hostilities with the natives--Averted in a most
singular manner--Junction of large river from the North--Sturt's
conviction that it is the Darling--Continuation of the voyage--Final
arrival at Lake Alexandrina--Return voyage--Starvation and fatigue--
Constant labour at the oars and stubborn courage of the men--Utter
exhaustion--Two men push forward to the relief party and return with
succour.
Chapter IV
[to 1836]
Settlement at King George's Sound--The free colony of Swan River
founded--Governor Stirling--Captain Bannister crosses from Perth to
King George's Sound--Explorations by Lieutenant Roe--Disappointing
nature of the interior--Bunbury, Wilson, and Moore--Settlement on the
North Coast--Melville Island and Raffles Bay--An escaped convict's

story--The fabulous Kindur River--Major Mitchell starts in search of
it--Discovery of the Namoi--The Nundawar Range--Failure of the
boats--Reach the Gwydir River of Cunningham--The KARAULA--Its
identity with the Darling--Murder of the two
bullock-drivers--Mitchell's return--Murder of Captain Barker in
Encounter Bay--Major Mitchell's second expedition to trace the course
of the Darling--Traces the Bogan to its junction with that river--Fort
Bourke--Progress down the river--Hostility of the natives--Skirmish
with them--Return--Mitchell's third expedition--The Lachlan
followed--Junction of the Darling and the Murray reached--Mitchell's
discovery of Australia Felix.
Chapter V
[to 1841]
Lieutenants Grey and Lushington on the West Coast--Narrow
escape--Start with an equipment of Timor ponies--Grey wounded by
the natives--Cave drawings--Return, having discovered the
Glenelg--Grey's second expedition--Landed at Bernier Island, in
Shark's Bay, with three whale-boats--Cross to borne Island--Violent
storm--Discovery of the Gascoyne--Return to Bernier Island--Find their
CACHÉ of provisions destroyed by a hurricane--Hopeless
position--Attempted landing at Gautheaume Bay--Destruction of the
boats--Walk to Perth--Great sufferings--Death of Smith--Eyre and the
overlanders--Discovery