Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 2 / Performed between the years 1818 and 1822

by Philip Parker King

In Prince Regent's River at 12 hours 20 minutes.

The rise of the tide, to the westward of Cape Van Diemen, and particularly to the westward of Cape Bougainville, appeared gradually to increase: the greatest that we experienced was in the vicinity of Buccaneer's Archipelago; and at the anchorage in Camden Bay the tide rose thirty-seven feet; occasioned probably by the intersected nature of the coast.

The variation in this interval is almost too trifling to be noticed for the purposes of common navigation. Between Capes Londonderry and Van Diemen it varies between 1/4 and 1 degree East. Between the former and Careening Bay it was between 1 and 1 1/2 degrees East; at Careening Bay the mean of the observations gave 3/4 of a degree West; but to the westward of that, as far as Cape Villaret, the results of the observations varied between 1 degree East and 1 degree West. Near the North-west Cape, and to the eastward of it as far as Depuch Island, it is about two degrees Westerly.

On the south-side of Clarence Strait the land is low, like the coast to the eastward. PATERSON BAY appeared to be the mouth of a river, but it was not examined. The opening to the eastward of the projecting point that forms the eastern side of Paterson Bay, seemed to be a good port; and to have an inlet at its bottom trending to the South-East.

CAPE GROSE, in latitude 12 degrees 32 minutes 40 seconds, and longitude 131 degrees 26 minutes, is the western head of Paterson Bay: it is fronted by reefs that extend for a considerable distance into the sea; their extremity is nearly nine miles north from the cape.

Hence the coast extends low and sandy to POINT BLAZE, to the northward of which there is a bay: to the south the shore is wooded, and trends for eighteen miles to the north entrance of Anson Bay, which is formed by PERON ISLANDS; these are low and sandy; at the extremity of the northern island, there is a sandy peak in latitude 13 degrees 6 minutes 30 seconds, and longitude 131 degrees 1 minute 20 seconds: the south end is overrun with mangroves, and it appeared very doubtful whether a channel existed between it and the smaller island, which is entirely surrounded by mangroves. This entrance to the bay is very intricate, and useless, since that to the south of the islands is so much better. Anson's Bay affords good anchorage, and probably has a small rivulet at the bottom.

CAPE FORD, in latitude 13 degrees 24 minutes 35 seconds, longitude 130 degrees 52 minutes 20 seconds, has a reef projecting for three miles from it: hence the coast trends round to the southward for thirty miles to a bay, which also has a small opening at the bottom; five miles inland there is a range of hills, on which two, of flat-topped summits, are conspicuous; and, at a distance, assume the appearance of islands. They are the Barthelemy Hills.

A few miles to the westward is PORT KEATS. TREE POINT, in latitude 13 degrees 59 minutes 20 seconds, longitude 130 degrees 34 minutes, the eastern head of the port, is surrounded by a reef, which extends from it for more than three miles. The west side has also a reef, but of much more considerable size, stretching to the northward of Cape Hay for fifteen miles; near its extremity there is a patch of dry rocks, occupying an extent of two miles. The channel within the heads is from two to four miles wide, and has anchorage in it between six and seven fathoms, mud. The port gradually contracts as it approaches the narrow mouth of the inlet to a mile and a half; it then trends to the south for six miles, where it is divided into two arms, that run up for six or seven miles more to the foot of a range of wooded hills, one of which is MOUNT GOODWIN. The western side of the inlet is occupied by a bank of clay, that dries at low water. At about three miles within the narrow entrance on the western side, there is an inlet, and above this the anchorage is good, the bottom being of clay, in which is mixed a small ironstone pebble: between the inlet and the narrows, the bottom is deep and rocky.

Between Cape Hay, in latitude 14 degrees 1 minute 30 seconds, and longitude 130 degrees 27 minutes 30 seconds, and POINT PEARCE, in latitude 14 degrees 28 minutes 30 seconds, longitude 130 degrees 17 minutes 15 seconds, the coast is still low, and was only seen at a distance. Off the latter point there is a reef which does not extend to a greater distance than a mile and a half.

To the south of Point Pearce there is a very extensive opening, which bad weather and other circumstances did not allow of being examined. It is nearly thirty miles wide, and the depth across between eight fathoms and twenty. The south shore is lined by a considerable reef extending for seven miles from the beach. The land was very indistinctly seen at the back, but, in one part, there was a space of more than eighteen miles, in which nothing was visible. The strength of the tide, the bottom being sandy instead of mud, as in other parts of the neighbourhood, and the rocky overfalls on either side of the entrance bespeak this opening to be of considerable size and importance.