Page:Australia, from Port Macquarie to Moreton Bay.djvu/128

 with the appearance of the river justified me in entertaining a strong belief that the sources of this river will not be found in a mountainous country. Most probably it issues from some large collection of interior waters, the reservoir of those streams crossed by me during an expedition of discovery, in 1818, and which had a northerly course. Whatever may be its origin, it is by far the largest fresh-water river on the east coast of New South Wales, and promises to be of the utmost importance to the colony, as besides affording a water communication with the southern country bounding upon Liverpool Plains, it waters a vast extent of country, of which a great proportion appears to me capable of supporting the culture of the richest productions of the tropics.

"I afterwards proceeded a few miles to the south-east from the river, through a gently broken country of good soil, declining in elevation towards the south; the high peak before mentioned being the only remarkable eminence from north-east to south.

"As the position of the entrance of the river was still to be fixed, and the channel to be examined, I lost no time in returning down the river with the ebb tide, and stopped for the night at the base of the Green hills; the highest of which was ascended the next morning, and the view from it was found more extensive than I anticipated.

"So much time was spent in the examination of the country above Sea-Reach, that it was quite dark when we got to the entrance of the river, which, out