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 covers the continuation of the journey from the campsite on the pebble bank about half a mile north of Fairy Bower and 2 miles south of College's crossing to their next encampment just past the rapids at College's crossing.

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

EXTRACT FROM OXLEY'S FIELD BOOKS

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 20th
The fogs and dews intensely heavy, but are soon dissipated by the strength of the morning sun. At nine, resumed the examination of the river. Station A, T¹ on larboard shore to B, N. 162½° 30. B to C. N. 221° 12 chains. Larboard shore declining from the ridge to a flat of rich land; tide flowing. C to D, N. 255° 60. The larboard declines to a flat, and the starboard shore rises into grassy ridges of open forest land; sand shoals and islands in the river. D to E, N. 234° 25 chains. At the end of this station the starboard side declines from the grassy ridges to a flat. The whole of the last reach the river was shoal and wide, having now about two feet water, and at high water perhaps 15 inches more. E to F, N. 217° 40 chains. A long sandy point from larboard shore; the river shoal, the flats continue alternately free from in undation. At end of this station², the opposite side rises into forest ridges, while a flat commences on the starboard.

Passed on the left hand a remarkable point of trees jutting out from the sand, in time of flood an Isld.; a little above a bold rock³ of a species of quartz protruded into the water. F to G, N. 198°20 chains; G to H, N. 249½° 12; H to I, N. 269° 20; river very shoal, tide flowing. I to K, N. 235° 12; rapids, tide ceases to flow.

Boat navigation ends; pulled the boats with some little difficulty over the rapid. K to L,⁴ N. 278° 60. The larboard shore steep and hilly, the opposite side good flat. The whole of this reach and the next a shoal rapid, the river about quarter of a mile wide, the channel of the water narrow as well as shoal, the water percolating through the gravelly shoals which engross the greater part of the width.

Landed on the larboard shore, and ascended the high ridge forming the bank of that river; walked to its western extreme; the view was not very extensive in any direction. To the west was a very lofty ridge of hills,⁵ covered to their summits with pine, and the river apparently wound round its base; the country was broken with forest hills, some of considerable eleva tion, and on the whole it had a very pleasing and picturesque aspect. The high range seen yesterday was not visible.

L to M, N. 265° 60. All shoal; it was half-past four before the boats cleared the rapids. M to N, N. 278° 50 chains. We encamped for the night near the end of this station on a gravelly point on the starboard shore.⁶ The opposite bank of the river rose nearly perpendicular from the water to the height of 150 feet, presenting a rocky front composed of coarse pudding stone, dipping to the E by N about 15°. Many large detached rocks on the margin of the water were a species of granite sandstone.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 21st
A fine, clear morning. As a narrow channel of the river a little above our encampment was blocked by several large trees laying across,⁷ I determined to endeavour to clear it before we loaded the boats. The river here between the banks was full quarter of a mile wide; the channel through which the water flowed not more than 30 yards; the remaining waters of the stream, entering the pebble shoals, flowed under them, and again emptied them selves into the deep reaches which invariably lay between the rapids. While the people were employed in clearing the channel, Messrs. C., B. and myself resolved to examine the river and see what other difficulties might be opposed to our further progress in the boats. Station N to 0, N. 36° 90.⁸ At the end of this station the starboard shore a perpendicular rock of pudding stone, about 70 feet high, strata nearly horizontal. 0 to P, N. 247° 100. Walked along the steep bank of the river on the left-hand side; the opposite side flat, rising into forest hills, the highest peak of which is above the base of 0. At the end of this station⁹ a peak, hitherto taken for Flinders Peak, N. 166°, distant about 20 miles, presenting a bold, rocky, front to the westward. Centre of the south end of a pine ridge,¹⁰ to which our course is directed, N. 259° distant about 4 miles. P to Q, river bends up N. 295° 80, at the extreme of which a sandy point commences this side. At two miles, crossed the river in direction of the bearing of Pine Ridge. Crossed a barren, stony tract for about 1¾ mile more, and came to the edge of the river at the base of Pine Ridge, the river bearing of the reach N. 5° and N. 185° about two miles.

Having crossed the river, we penetrated through a very thick brush abounding with stately and magnificent pines, which towered far above the other timber of the hill, among which was the Flindersia. Mr. C. procured a couple of young cones, which satisfactorily demonstrated that the tree which had excited so much admiration was an entirely new species of the genus Araucaria,¹¹ being the first discovered in New South Wales, and decidedly the growth of the interior, and not a coast tree. We measured one, the first we came to, the circumference of which was 10 feet. Many others were of greater magnitude, which was carried up perfectly straight without a branch to a height of from 50 to 100 feet, the w)iole height in the full-grown trees being at least 150 feet. To this stately tree Mr. C. gave the name of the Brisbane pine, as being first discovered on the banks of the river of the same name. Mr. C. in this noble forest discovered many new and valuable plants, among them a Calystema or Pancratium, the bulbs of which were procured.

My hopes of finding this an interior river, which I had considered so effectually destroyed in consequence of the appearance of the river on the 19th, were this day destined to be again awakened, and my sanguine expectations unexpectedly confirmed, so far at least as conclusive arguments can be drawn, from the discovery of a fish hitherto known only to exist in the waters of the western interior. On our route towards the Pine Ridge we fell in with an old native, who had been fishing. When we had crossed the river he sat down by Mr. Cunningham, who, seeing the tail of a fish protruding from the mouth of his bag, began to examine the contents, and before he could disengage the fish exclaimed, "This is a Bathurst cod fish." On the fish being placed fairly before us, not a doubt could possibly exist of their exact identity in every particular. This species of fish was intimately known both- to Mr. Cunningham and myself, and we also knew that it did not exist in any Eastern waters. The fish measured 1 foot 9½ inches in length, and was 5½ inches broad. The dorsal fins had 11 rays, the anal fin three rays; towards the breast the pectoral fins were placed before the ventral fins having each four rays; the ventral fins were many-rayed and rounded, the caudal, or tail fin, the same; four tiers of gills. With those that had once seen the fish of the Western waters no doubts could remain; no other fish ever seen in any of the other fresh waters of the colony having the smallest resemblance to them. Since we had been among the rapids, several fish of very large size, some measuring more than four feet long have been seen by us all in the deep pools under the steep banks. These we called the fresh-water shark, having only an imperfect view of them through the dark shade of the waters. The larger-sized fish of the Bathurst fish do in outward form and at a distance somewhat resemble shark. The Pine Hill being clothed with an almost impervious vegetation to its very summit, of course our hopes of an extended prospect were disappointed, and we returned to the tent highly gratified and exhilarated by the day's occurrences and acquisitions, though quite exhausted by the heat of the sun and the length and difficulty of our journey.

1.	Station A was the same as yesterday's Station T.
2.	Station F was about 1½ miles downstream from College's Crossing.
3.	Cunningham also mentioned this rock (Cunningham, Journal, 20 September 1824) and Lockyer noticed it on 12 September 1825 (Lockyer, Journal).
4.	Station L was at College's Crossing.
5.	Pine Mountain, 766 feet.
6.	They camped on the north bank and remained until 25 September.
7.	Lockyer cut a path through trees here on 12 September 1825 (Lockyer, Journal).
8.	Station 0 was a mile south of Mt. Crosby.
9.	Station P was on a low hill about a mile west of the Mt. Crosby weir, close to the south bank.
10.	Pine Mountain.
11.	Araucaria cunninghamii, the hoop pine.