Hervey's Bay .] 
TERRA AUSTRALIS 
II 
part in the act of throwing the net. Our native did not understand 1802. 
a word of their language, nor did they seem to know the use of his Saturday 31 
womerah or throwing stick ; for one of them being invited to imitate 
Bongaree, who lanced a spear with it very dexterously and to a great 
distance, he, in the most awkward manner, threw both womerah and 
spear together. Nothing like a canoe was seen amongst these people ; 
but they must have some means of passing over the water to short 
distances, since I found, in 1799, that Curlew Islet, near the head of 
this bay, had been visited. 
A species of pandanus before found at Glass-house and Shoal 
Bays, grows in abundance upon Sandy Cape ; and notwithstanding 
the extreme sterility of the soil, the sand hills were mostly covered 
with bushes, and the vallies contained trees of the casuarina and 
eucalyptus. There was fresh water in a pool near the shore, and as 
a ship may lie within half a mile, both wood and water might be 
procured here without great difficulty ; but I doubt if the water would 
not altogether fail in the dry season. 
A tolerably regular tide set past the ship, N. N. E. and S. S. W., 
nearly one mile an hour ; and it appeared by the shore to be high 
water about eight hours after the moon's passage, and the common rise 
to be between six and seven feet. 
No mention has been made of the variation of the compass 
since leaving Port Jackson, A gradual diminution seems to take 
place from Twofold Bay, near the southern extremity of this 
coast, to Sandy Cape ; as will appear from the following observations. 
Lat. 37 0 4' Azim., one compass, on shore, - 9 0 39' E. 
S3 52 , , - 8 51 
31 3 6 — — — , — — , head north, - - 9 8 
30 32 , three comp., , - - 8 42 
26' 10 , one comp., head N. by W. 8° 40', corr. 8 7 
25 o Ampl., , — N. W. by N. 9 39, - 8 9 
2443 , , — S.E. iS. 633, - 8 14 
