Our Indooroopilly - Oxley and Cunningham explore in 1824

Readings from Primary Sources on Moreton Bay & Brisbane

These "Readings" from John Oxley's field books on the first settlement in Moreton Bay, September 1824, are reprinted from J.G. Steele, The Explorers of the Moreton Bay District 1770-1830, Brisbane, 1972.
Note that Footnotes are per J.G. Steele.
Note that the introductory paragraphs below show heavy quoting from and extensive reliance on J.G. Steele's The Explorers of the Moreton Bay District 1770-1830, Brisbane, 1972. There has also been some quoting from Hector Holthouse's Illustrated History of Queensland.

Governor Brisbane, in view of John Oxley's favourable report on the 1823 expedition, decided to establish a settlement in Moreton Bay. On 1 September 1824, 14 soldiers and about 30 convicts left Sydney in the brig "Amity". Oxley was placed in command of the ship and instructed to choose the location for settlement and chart the environment. Accompanying Oxley, were Allan Cunningham, the King's Botanist, and Robert Hoddle, the surveyor.
This extract is from Cunningham's journal and describes the journey from the Amity to Mermaid Reach near Mt. Ommaney.

Make sure to look at Our Indooroopilly's Historical and Contemporary BRISBANE RIVER MAP

EXTRACT FROM CUNNINGHAM'S JOURNAL

16TH SEPTEMBER
Having made the necessary preparations for an absence of two weeks from the anchorage ¹ in the examination of the River Brisbane, we quitted our vessel ² in two boats, the exploring party being composed of Mr. Oxley as Director of our Expedition, Lieutenant Butler of the 40th Reg., myself and 9 boatmen and servants.

From the anchorage we proceeded South Easterly with the flood tide in our favour, and about noon passed the points of entrance of the River having, in making the entrance, which may be estimated at a breadth of two miles, tailed on a spit of sand projecting from a mangrovy point on the northern side of the mouth of this stream. ³ Low mangrove islands occupy portions of the channel upwards, which although circumscribed in breadth thereby, has depths which we found to increase from 2 to 4 fathoms, the channel itself in parts free from these depressed muddy islets presenting a width exceeding 1¼ miles.

The boundary shores are low, invested by mangroves of the genera Avicennia, Aegiceras, Rhizophora (mucronata) and a Bruguiera, these maritime thickets being backed by low strips of Forest land elevated only a few feet above the Mangrove bank but sufficiently to prevent the salt water at the flood tide reaching the roots of those stunted specimens of the Eucalypti, whose tapering heads barely peeped over those of the Mangroves.

At length in about 5 miles from the Entrance, forest ridges were perceived before us, at the extremity of a fine western reach ⁴ and as the mangroves on each side progressively became thinner as we advanced, admitting us to observe the back forest ground, the channel of this water, from that appearance of a simple recess from the Bay, which the low depressed mangrovy shore from the Entrance upwards gave it, began at this stage of our advance, to put on all the usual characteristics of a River, and that, too, of some importance. Hibiscus heterophyllus, here and there, decorate its banks, to which some singularly pretty green patches of grassy forest dip from the ridges observed in the background which are wooded chiefly with Eucalypti of Blue gum and Iron bark - the Callitris ⁵ of the Bay and large leaved Tristania distinguishable at once by the dark line of their foliage, being also conspicuous on the acclivities of these higher grounds.

Upon reaching the elbow of this reach which is perceived to bend from the Southward, we pulled in upon the left or north bank, on effecting our sixth mile (by estimation) and encamped on a grassy spot which by reason of the great luxuriance of vegetation, led us to conclude that fresh water would be found by examining a reedy swamp in the background which is discharged into the river by a Creek ⁶ on the northern angle of the Reach. The Drought however of the Season which we have already observed to be of long continuance on the shores of Moreton Bay had dried up the Marsh - a few natives' wells in the neighbourhood was the only discovery made, containing a little water of so brackish and turbid a quality as not to be under any circumstance drinkable. We therefore had to open one of the Baracas ⁷ with which we had furnished ourselves from the Vessel for the necessary supply each person required. Some dark shaded brushes in the neighbourhood engaged my attention until dusk and although I discovered no plants that had not been examined in the Equinoctial portion of our Continent during Captain King's voyages ⁸, it was nevertheless gratifying to recognize my old friends a second time. Seaforthia elegans, Tetranthera ferruginea - Hellenia coerulea. Stadmannia - Cordyline cannaefolia, several of the Asclepiadeae, Apocyneae without fiuctification - Flagellaria climbing over the topmost branches of trees - Dioscorea - Plumbago zeylanica, and the scandent Fern Lygodium were of the plants I was enabled to identify. - I gathered flowering specimens of a tree of the Sapindeae and perhaps an Amyris bearing panicles of red flowers.

Numerous were the beaten paths of the wild aborigine. His several fireplaces showed me that this part of the River was numerously inhabited and an hour had not elapsed after my return to the Encampment before four of these Savages made their appearance, yelling from a surprise excited by the appearance of our Encampment, and the several strange objects around them. After a merry but wild dance with our boat people in which they exhibit some extravagant gestures, they peaceably retired, taking with them from our fires each a lighted stick, not probably to illuminate their path to the distant bivouacing ground, but to rekindle their own fires, as they were not careful to preserve the flame.

l7TH SEPTEMBER
Friday. A slight fog. As we had rather improvidently consumed the whole of our supply of fresh water taken from the Vessel, in the too sanguine reliance upon our discovery of an abundant store at the head of the Creek near our Encampment, some time was lost in fruitless search in the neighbourhood, when we were at length obliged to make a hasty meal ⁹ without drink and be content to wait with patience until we should reach that part of the Brisbane (a few miles distant) at which Mr. Oxley had on his former excursion found the River perfectly fresh and sweet. The natives whose clamours we had heard at Daybreak from their Encampment distant probably not a half mile, suddenly made their appearance about us, just at the time we were all busily engaged re-stowing our boats. In an instant, these Savages caught up our mountain barometer, a case of Drawing Tablets etc and ran off as fast as they could towards their Encampment. Fortunately however, the contents of a loaded Gun being discharged ¹⁰ at one of these Indians, recovered to us the whole of the stolen articles with the exception of a Straw Hat ¹¹ with which one remarkably nimble fellow in advance of the Greater thief had got clear off.

Our desire to proceed on our voyage induced us to resume it (about 8 a.m.) against the ebb tide which was running down with considerable strength. A noble reach ¹² extending South about 2 miles in length, by a breadth of ½ a mile, with banks overhung with lofty volubilous and scandent ¹³ plants called forth our admiration as we prosecuted our boat voyage - the respectable and regular width of the stream when considered in connection with a depth of 4, 5 and 6 fathoms at the last quarter of the ebb tide, fully impressing each of us with the great importance in a commercial and agricultural point of view at no distant day, by reason of its navigable capabilities, of the fine water which Mr. Oxley has, in its discovery, opened to us.

In this reach, the right or east bank was more particularly clothed with twining plants and a density of brushwood than the opposite or western shore where the open woodland, in forest ridges, was remarked. In the thick and shaded brushes, and towering above the highest trees, were observed the Corymbose ¹⁴ branched Heads of a Pine ¹⁵ (as it was called) at the extremities of whose branchlets I perceived the young fruit, but as this curious tree exceeded 100 feet in height, I could not perceive whether it was capsular or coniform. Of that section of the genus Metrosideros with long detached filament - proposed by Mr. Brown to be separated from it by the name of Callistemon, one curious species was very conspicuous on the immediate banks, and a Crinum growing in the mud, that is daily covered by each flood tide was in flower, and from its short peduncle, narrow leaves, and altogether smaller habit than C. pedunculatum, it was important to examine it; however our boat was rapidly proceeding upwards, and as it was an object to prevent a loss of time, it was proposed to collect these fine subjects in our descent to the Vessel. After winding up several short bends we at length in about 8½ miles, entered a noble reach about 4 miles in length, ¹⁶ the channel of the River still preserving the even breadth of half-a-mile, and bounded by dark, densely matted woods in which the new Pine was particularly conspicuous.

The young flood tide at length became felt as we passed up several new Reaches, in alternately northerly and southerly trends. We were however much disappointed in not meeting with Fresh water at the same stage on this stream as had been used last December by Mr. Oxley, thus serving us as a proof that the great Drought that has so materially affeeted the Colony, ¹⁷ had also extended to these Regions where probably no rain has fallen for many months and that consequently the body of Fresh water in this River having become considerably diminished by a vast daily evaporation, the salt water (not meeting with a weight or force, to repel its pressure) had flowed up many miles beyond the spot marked on the Chart of the River, made last December.

We continued our voyage westerly about 13 miles in which estimated distance we passed up some long and very handsome reaches of nearly an uniform width or very gradually and almost imperceptibly diminishing from 600 yards to ¼ of a mile; the banks being alternately brushy or densely overhung with a matted or tressed mass of vegetation and the open Forest land, abundance of Pine existing in the former.

Towards the close of the Day, having passed another exceedingly fine length of the River, named the Mermaid Reacb ¹⁸ on the former visit, we began to look for a spot to rest ourselves on for the night; the banks however proved either so steep and inaccessible or low, soft and muddy as to render our attempts to gain a footing on the shore abortive; the Water also was still brackish slightly, and none decidedly fresh was found in the Gullies which fell into the River as far as they were examined by the people of one of our boats. Considering therefore that as the long prevalence of Drought had caused a very great diminution of the Fresh water in the River, allowing the tide to flow daily much higher than previously observed, and as the water at the present point of penetration on this River was (although salt) drinkable, Mr. Oxley proposed that as the People had laboured hard all day without fresh water, had become exceedingly fatigued, and the day on the close, to haul in at the first spot at all eligible and pitch the Tents, which we accordingly did on the South or right bank, upon the high grassy ridge which forms the outer or upper bank of the River. ¹⁹

The Country would seem about to assume another feature from this Stage of the River upwards, the primary or upper banks are now frequently open and unencumbered by brushes and beyond, forest Hills appear occasionally, the Soil appears evidently improved not only at our present Encampment where it Was examined but also in other parts not landed on, but timbered with Apple Tree (Angophora lanceolata). The general direction of the River as traced during this Day's arduous exertion was from the South West, its breadth varying from 3/8 of a mile to 250 yards. Hibiscus heterophyllus is very frequent on the immediate bank clothed with a profusion of its specious flowers. Pelican, Black Swan (at this period moulting, and hence easily run down by the Boats) and Ducks were very abundant in every reach of the River and of the Two tail we shot several which gave all hands a feast variously prepared. Plumbago zeylanica L. a species of Sida; Ficus (aspera), Dioscorea bulbifera, Ipomoea pendula, Dolichos sp., a volubilous plant with membranous pods hanging from long peduncles, of which I gathered ripe seeds and a tree of the Urticeae evidently, 20 feet high allied to Antiaris of Mr. Brown, were generally subjects of the river bank and brushes in the neighbourhood of our tent.

1.	At Redcliffe.
2.	The "Amity".
3.	Luggage Point, then known as Point Uniack.
4.	Hamilton Reach.
5.	The cypress known as the Bribie Island pine.
6.	Breakfast Creek.
7.	Casks.
8.	Cunningham accompanied Captain P.P. King on his surveys of the Australian coast.
9.	This probably accounts for the name "Breakfast Creek". In Lockyer's sketch of the river in 1825, the point to the east of the mouth of the creek is marked "Breakfast Point".
10.	By Lieutenant Butler.
11.	Oxley's hat.
12.	Bulimba Reach.
13.	Twisting and climbing.
14.	When the branches, although starting from different points, attain the same level.
15.	The hoop pine.
16.	Milton Reach and Toowong Reach, at that time known as Long Reach or Crescent Reach.
17.	The Sydney area.
18.	The reach still bears this name. In it are the Seventeen Mile Rocks.
19.	Near Mt. Ommaney.