CHAPTER LXXIX 



THE AUTHOR'S EXPLORATIONS, 1879-80, continued 

 WITH CROSBIE'S PROSPECTING PARTY 



"THIRD PRELIMINARY REPORT," A SUMMARY OF 

 EVENTS FROM FALSE ORFORD NESS TO SOMERSET 



[First officially issued, after having been " Presented to Both Houses," 5th July, 

 1 88 1, in Further Reports on the Progress of the Gold-Prospecting Expedition in Cape 

 York Peninsula R. L. J.] 



RECAPITULATION OF JOURNEY FROM CAMP 58 (13 MARCH) TO SOMERSET (3RD APRIL, 

 1880). PROJECT OF RETURNING BY LAND ABANDONED. 



(ANNOTATED REPRINT) 

 THIRD PRELIMINARY REPORT 



(SEE MAP B.) 



FALSE ORFORD NESS (AMP 58) is an untimbered 

 promontory of horizontal ferruginous red SANDSTONE, 

 terminating in a cliff of about 50 feet in height. The 

 sandstone is covered, lightly near the sea, with blown 

 sand, which rises further inland into HIGH SAND-HILLS. The 

 prospecting and geological parties spent two days more in recruiting 

 their horses on the good grass and succulent " pig-weed " of the 

 coast. 



On i$tb March we travelled by the beach from False Orford 

 Ness to the " RED CLIFFS " in 11 12' S. latitude. Between False 

 Orford Ness and ORFORD NESS proper, low points of sandstone 

 come down at intervals to the sea, but generally the hills of blown 

 sand begin at high tide mark and extend for miles inland. BLACKS 

 were seen following on our track at a cautious distance. 



In the south bend of ORFORD BAY we found a large salt-water 

 creek, with four mouths, among mangroves. The eastmost mouth 

 had a thin and treacherous crust of sand on stiff black clay. Some 

 of the horses were badly bogged, one of them wetting my maps 

 and papers. Invisible BLACKS were hallooing among the mangroves 

 while we were engaged in extricating the horses from the mud. 

 At the next mouth we had to wait for about an hour till the tide, 



618 



