"Thursday, February 25th. First part the gale continued, latter fair winds. Observed several very large native fires at the foot of Arthur's Seat and on the western side of the port, hauled our seine several times along the shore nearest us but caught no fish owing probably to there being flats of sand lying off them to the distance of 200 yards.
"Friday, February 26th. Examined the beach and land for about 8 miles. A.M. Sent our long boat on shore, turned her up and set our carpenter to work on her, she leaking so much as to keep a hand constantly bailing, and our small boat is so bad as to render it hazardous to go any distance from the vessel in her.
"Saturday, February 27th. Fine weather and moderate winds. Both boats sounding and on survey of harbour. A number of very large native fires on the hills round the eastern and western shores of the Port have been seen these two days past. Sent Mr. Bowen and Mr. Brabyn in the gig to get the Latitude of the north end of Swan Isles and at noon I got the Latitude of a point about 7 miles North and South of them from which a base line was got for the survey of the harbour.
CHART OF BASS STRAIT, INCLUDING THE DISCOVERIES OF ACTING-LIEUTENANT JOHN MURRAY IN THE LADY NELSON, between November 1801 AND march 1802
By command of His Excellency Governor King. This chart, which bears Murray's autograph, shows his explorations of Western Port, Port Philip, and King Island. It should be noted that Flinders' Island is named Grand Capuchin. This is one of the charts referred to as "unfortunately missing" in the Historical Records of New South Wales volume 4 page 764.
In this chart by Murray, sent to the Admiralty from Sydney by Governor King in 1802, few names appear, although Murray named Point Palmer, Point Paterson, and Point Nepean, and the fact that it bears the date January 1802 seems further evidence that it is the first chart of Port Philip drawn by its discoverer. It is one of those referred to as "unfortunately missing" in the Historical Records of New South Wales volume 4 page 764.
"Sunday, February 28th. Gave some of the people liberty on shore.
"Monday, March 1st. At 5 A.M. took up our kedge, hove short, loosed sails and sheeted home the top-sails, weighed and made sail up the port, intending to run as high as the watering place. The wind in a little time flied away and the tide ran so rapid as to sweep the vessel on a shoal of sand with only 5 feet of water on it, as it was perfectly smooth we immediately hove her off without her sustaining the least damage and dropped back into our old berth between Point Paterson and Bowen's Point so named from Mr. Bowen's skirmish with the natives in it. The flies are now so troublesome as to almost hinder a person from sitting a moment in one place.