CHAPTER XXXI 



KENNEDY'S EXPEDITION, 1848, continued 

 FROM THE COAST RANGE TO THE PALMER 



TRIBUTARIES OF HERBERT RIVER. HERBERT VALLEY. STOREKEEPER'S DEFALCATIONS. 

 HlS DUTIES ADDED TO THOSE OF THE BOTANIST (CARRON). DRASTIC RATIONING. 

 WILD RIVER (HEAD OF HERBERT). NETTLE CREEK. HORSES DYING. HORSEFLESH 

 EATEN. ACROSS WATERSHED OF PENINSULA. SlTE OF FUTURE GLEN LlNEDALE 

 TIN MINES. EMU CREEK. WALSH RIVER. TIN MINES OF THE FUTURE. 

 FRIENDLY NATIVES. GODDARD TEMPORARILY LOST. THE FUTURE WOLFRAM 

 CAMP. DOWN HODGKINSON VALLEY. MITCHELL RIVER (ZND SEPTEMBER, 1848). 

 KENNEDY BELIEVES IT WILL TAKE HIM TO PRINCESS CHARLOTTE BAY. DOWN 

 THE RIVER. Too FAR WEST. STRIKES NORTH-WEST. NATIVES AND THEIR FOOD. 

 PALMER RIVER CROSSED AT SITE OF FUTURE PALMERVILLE. DEMONSTRATION BY 

 HOSTILE NATIVES. NATIVES BURN GRASS AND THROW SPEARS AND ARE REPULSED. 



(SEE MAP K.) 



ON gth August, the united party reached the SUMMIT OF THE 

 COAST RANGE, which Kennedy estimated to be over 2,000 

 feet above sea-level, and CAMPED on the western side of a 

 small river, which must have been BLUNDER CREEK, a 

 tributary of the Herbert River, which falls into the south end of 

 Rockingham Bay. (SEE i6-MiLE MAP OF QUEENSLAND, OR, PREFER- 

 ABLY, THE i6-MiLE INSET IN SKETCH MAP OF THE WALSH AND 

 TINAROO MINERAL FIELD, 1904: No. 181 OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

 PUBLICATIONS.) 



Sixty-six days of toil and hardship had brought the explorers 

 into the HERBERT VALLEY, their actual start for the north having 

 been preceded by a long and arduous journey in the opposite 

 direction. Kennedy was, at this furthest south, 2 miles from the 

 site of Cardwell and within a few miles of the point where, had he 

 only known, he might have ascended the range by DALRYMPLE'S 

 GAP and then made his way with ease up the Herbert valley to the 

 point which he had at length reached with so much difficulty. 



On loth August, BLUNDER CREEK was crossed and the party 

 camped on the right bank, lat. 17 48' S. long. ; 145 20' E. The 

 horses swam across and the sheep followed them " like dogs." 

 A deep channel between two rocks was bridged with three trees, 

 over which the men carried the stores. " NIBLET, who had been 

 very UNWELL for three or four days, was taken much worse to-day." 



Consideration for the horses kept the party in camp on the nth. 

 Five miles of uneven open forest country were covered on the I2tb, 

 and the party CAMPED by a chain of rocky water-holes, which must 



212 



