Page:Journals of Several Expeditions Made in Western Australia.djvu/143



Monday, April 18th, 1831.—Moderate breezes and hazy; daylight saw the land on the lee bow, which proved to be Point Ramé. At 9, shortened sail and hoisted the whale boat out—distance from land about six miles. At half-past 9, having got every thing ready in the boat, left the ship and stood in-shore; saw an appearance of an opening on the western bow; kept close to the wind, but finding we could not fetch it, and the object of my search being the westward, bore up with a very heavy swell. At 11, rounded Ramé's Point and observed the black rocks; kept close to the shore, and at 12 saw an appearance of an opening about a mile to the westward of the inner point; stood for it, the wind increasing much, with a considerable cross swell, in two reefs. At half-past 12 rounded a point of land, and found a large estuary, with an entrance that had ten feet water on the bar in going in, with a sandy spit on the right hand and a rocky shore on the left. The entrance is narrow, but certainly good anchorage for small coasting vessels, not drawing more than seven feet. In going in there is a rock close to the left shore which always breaks, and which must be kept on the left hand. Employed all the afternoon pulling round the estuary, which has a small island in it; landed several times, and found the soil to be generally good,