End of Dutton's Exploratory Trip

In describing Darke's journey (1841) a writer said that ' the following beautiful lines of Scott are given as highly descriptive of the Marble Range and its aspects :

" A scene so stern is seldom shewn.
With its dark ledge of barren stone,
Seems that primeval earthquake's away,
Hath rent a strange and shattered way,
Through the rude bosom of the hill.
And each naked precipice, sable ravine, and dark abyss
Tells of the outrage still—
The wildest hill but this can shew,
Some touch of Nature's genial glow
But here, no bush, no plant, nor flower,
Nor aught of vegetative power
The weary eye may ken.
But all is here at random thrown,
Black rocks, bare crags, and banks of stone,
As if were lure denied
The summer's sun, the spring's sweet dew
That clothe with many a varied hue
The bleakest mountain's side."

Probably Nathaniel Hailes was responsible for the quotation. He was a friend of both Darke and Theakstone.

An A.D.C. accompanying Governor Sir G. Le-Hunte on his first visit to Port Lincoln and Cummins when he saw the Marble Range from the train said, ' A good representation of old Gib' (Gibraltar). From the hill many natives were seen on the plain, watching the movements of Dutton and party. Dennis and Stevens, who had not ascended Marble Range, made toward the natives. The hill party made toward the natives as well. Four of the natives approached and were soon on friendly terms. The natives led Dennis and Mitchell — the whole white party had functioned together again — to some water holes, and the natives brought back two bottles of water to the remainder of the party, who after drinking joined their companions at the water hole. It would appear that the party camped again at the range, and the, following day, it is said, they went in a northerly direction, through 20 miles of scrub, and had to camp without water. The next day's march is recorded as follows : —

" Early the next morning (April 4, 1839) we made the hills again, proceeding on our course, the country improving gradually and finding plenty of water in the holes. After sundown came upon a creek where we found water. There we're a number of natives at the creek, who scampered off on the discharge of a gun, leaving their spears behind. After a time, one of them returned and by signs demanded that the party should leave the water, but would not allow anyone to approach him. The next day the course of the creek was followed for about 25 miles, winding through the luxuriant valleys, with grass knee-deep. Some parts were evidently flooded during the rainy season. "I certainly never saw finer agricultural ground in New Holland than this tract," wrote C. C. Dutton. He continued, "The undulating hills which bound the vallies, covered with a fine light soil shaded with gum and sheoak trees, are peculiarly adapted for sheep runs, and as wool always partakes of the nature of the soil over which it runs, a fine bright description of that staple may be grown here."

FEED AND WATER ABUNDANT

The feed in the valleys and water in abundance even in April made the district an ideal place for rearing cattle, it was thought. That night's camp was about 10 miles from Mount Gawler, which was reached the next day (April 6) and then "by keeping along the vallies, reached a beautiful country to the very foot of the Port Lincoln Ranges, having been out eight days. One particular feature of the later part of the trip stood out prominently, for "about three miles to the N.E. of Mount Gawler, we found three fresh water springs throwing out abundance of water of the purest quality from the top of mounds covered with verdure,"wrote Dutton.

Near the settlement a tribe of natives was met, and one was captured and taken into the settlement. It seems a great pity that this was done ; the intention may have been good, but the natives would not understand the action of the whites, and the feeling of resentment against them must have been predominant in the minds of the natives. If reports are to be believed a similar action was the cause of the death of Dutton and party a few years later.

Dutton wrote, "The communication from Port Lincoln to these springs (near Mount Gawler) and to the fine districts .... is perfectly easy and a bullock waggon might be taken across there without crossing any difficult range." Further on he says "The result of this expedition has satisfied me that to the northward there is a great extent of good country in the immediate neighborhood of Port Lincoln for agricultural as well as pastoral purposes" and that "the narrow isthmus between Coffin's Bay consists of nothing but rocks, sand, scrub and salt water lagoons."

The wish of the party was to have gone further northward but provisions were exhausted — as they themselves were, and nearly bare-footed — so perforce they had to return home saying "it remains, there-fore, for another expedition to strike boldly into the country and ascertain what is to be found among the more distant ranges of the interior."

It is difficult to locate the route taken from Marble Range. As mentioned in last week's instalment the mileages quoted seem to be excessive and the bearing erratic. There are at least three possible routes : —

(1) After going 20 miles north of Marble Range, striking east up the valley east of Cummins then following the Kapinku Creek and junctioning with the Tod and then following the Tod River. There is a difficulty in this route ; no mention is made of crossing the divide between the two water-sheds.

(2) Another possible route may have been crossing the hills near the north of Pillana railway station, meeting some of the branches of the Tod and eventually coming to the river, but the mileage seems altogether too great for this route.

The third possible route, which probably is the most likely, is that they skirted the northern point of the hills east of Pillana and then followed in the general direction of the present main road from Cummins to Port Lincoln. Even by this route nothing like the mileage quoted by Dutton can be obtained, for on the evening of April 4 they met the creek and on the 5th they followed the creek for 25 miles, and at camping time they were still 10 miles from Mount Gawler.

COCK'S INVESTIGATIONS

During April and May, 1839, Robert Cock made an investigation of the Peninsula on behalf of the Adelaide Survey Association. He left the Adelaide side on April 24, in the schooner Victoria (Capt. Hutchinson), accompanied by J. H. Hughes (surveyor), and made for the head of Spencers Gulf, where on April 30 the schooner was anchored two miles below where the Investigator (Capt. Flinders) at her furthest northern point in the gulf, was anchored 37 years later. This anchorage would be in the vicinity of Yatala Harbor of today.

Flinders shows on his chart a large inlet running south easterly, on the eastern shore. From where the Victoria was anchored, Robert Cock said an inlet, six miles distant, could be seen from the masthead, a very definite fixing of the anchorage of the schooner. On May 2, the schooner was taken northerly along the western shore, and came to anchor four miles above Curtain Point in four fathoms of water. One is apt to confuse this name with Kirton Point (Boston Bay), but it is definitely a different point of land. The name is not on present day maps. At first sight Curlew Point suggests itself as being the same as Curtain Point, hiding the northern part of the gulf as it does, but after careful consideration, I feel sure Curtain Point must be opposite about Mount Tassie on the west or Port Paterson on the east side.

It was said that stingray and snapper were plentiful, and many were caught. About 50 years subsequent to Cock's visit, I was also on a boat anchored in the vicinity of Point Paterson, and we likewise found snapper plentiful, though whereas they caught fish up to 12 lb. weight, ours were about 1lb., but were most delicious for tea and breakfast.

From the anchorage, Robert Cock took a boat up the gulf for 10 miles, and then a walk of three miles finished the journey northward, and this point was N 72 W from Mount Brown. The country was said to be exceedingly barren in every direction, without wood or grass, and no fresh water could be found anywhere. Robert Cock said that by appearance the hills, distant about 12 miles on the east side seemed to connect with the hills distant about six miles on the west side and "must exclude the admittance of any considerable stream into the gulf ; but from there, I have no doubt the character of the country changes for the better," said Robert Cock.

The isolated hills in the distance would give the appearance of a continuous line of hills. The Mount Arden Range certainly prevented the rivers on the east from emptying into the gulf and forced the water northward into the lower level of Lake Torrens, which was so shortly after Cock's visit to be discovered by E. J. Eyre. When we come to discuss Eyre's work it will be seen that he, too, thought he was hemmed in by a horse shoe lake, distance giving the Torrens, Eyre, Gregory, Blanche, Callabonna and Frome Lakes the appearance of one con-tinuous sheet of water. Eyre left Adelaide on May 1, on the northern trip ; that is, just as Robert Cock was investigating the eastern shore at Yatala Harbor.

DISCOVERY OF RANGE

On May 5, 1839, the Victoria was dropped down to Curtain Point. The sailors made another unsuccessful search for water, while Robert Cock walked seven miles westerly, finding the country exceedingly barren and stony, and destitute of wood, grass or water. The hills were about 800 ft. high, a white heath covering them (would this be salt bush?). For four miles further the same barrenness continued, although the grass appeared a little more plentiful. But, an interesting entry now occurs in Robert Cock's diary : "There is a range of hills to the west about forty miles distant, which runs very high, and nearly N.E. and S.W." This would most probably be the Baxter's Range which Eyre had the credit of discovering in the following month, or alternatively the hills may have been the eastern extremity of the Gawler Ranges, which Eyre discovered and named in September of the same year.

On May 6 the Victoria beat six miles down the west side of the 'continued harbour,' with deep water close inshore. A trip ashore revealed the same barrenness. From a hill the party looked across a considerable valley, which looked rather better and more grassy. The next day they dropped down to 'the opening left in Flinders' chart.' That would be just south of Point Lowly, and at the head of what is now known as False Bay.

On May 8, going ashore, the boat grounded a mile off. The day was spent examining the country and from some higher ground the same miserable appearance made itself manifest. Again no fresh water could be found by digging, even to a depth of 9ft. It was then decided to make for Boston Bay and it took them from the 9th to the 13th to reach Cape Donington, where the Abeona (Capt. Hawson) was encountered and a keg of water was procured.

The 'South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register' reports the meeting, on the arrival of the Abeona in Port Adelaide, as : "The Victoria, schooner was spoken by the Abeona going into Port Lincoln on Sunday afternoon for water — All well." I think Sunday was wrongly mentioned ; it should have been Saturday. Robert Cock's actual entry for May 13 reads: "Anchored off Point Donington at half past seven p.m., when we procured a keg of water from Captain Hawson of the Abeona which was very acceptable." Perhaps Cock mistook the date, for later on he has no entry for May 31.

Boston Bay opposite Happy Valley was reached on May 14, when further supplies of water and provisions were procured, and it was on that date he wrote in his diary: "Two parties had been in the country, one for three days and the other eight days, who reported the land to be equal to the vicinity of Mt Barker." These two parties would be those under the leadership of Tod and Dutton respectively. Robert Cock remarked that the natives were numerous and kindly treated.