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pp. 437-442.
“10th mo. 5th. [5th October 1836] BEING kindly supplied with horses, by Charles Throsby, we visited the Iron-gang at Berrima, and a neighbouring Road-party. The prisoners forming the Ironed-gang are employed in erecting a jail and court-house. They haveBibles and Prayer Books lent to them, on First-days, by the military officer, who takes some pains in regard to their religious instruction. Berrima is on a new line of road, to the souther parts of the Colony. It is on poor, sandy soil, but is better supplied with water than Bong Bong, which is now abandoned, as the site of a town, though in richer country, and on basalt. We spent the evening pleasantly with the large family of Charles Throsby, whose wife was rescued from the New Zealanders, when a child, by Alexander Berry. They had destroyed and eaten the company of the ship, with the exception of the cabin-boy and herself; in consequence of the captain having beaten the son of one of their chiefs, when on the voyage, because he suspected him of stealing a silver spoon, that was probably thrown overboard, by accident.
“6th. An aged man, named Wyld, who accompanied Robert Brown, in his botanical researches in N. S. Wales and V. D. Land, and who discovered the district of Illawarra, was sent with us as a guide, to Black Bob’s Creek, and to bring back the horses on which we rode, as we wished to pursue our journey southward, on foot, after visiting a Bridge and Road-party. This part of the Colony is about 2,000 feet above the level of the sea. The forest is open and grassy. Apples, Cherries and Gooseberries, thrive here, but it is too cold for Oranges and Lemons. From Black Bob’s Creek to Paddy’s River, the soil is poor and sandy, and grass is scanty in the open forest, which is chiefly of Stringy Bark, White Gum, and Eucalyptus pulverulenta, the Peppermint-tree [Colonial Timbers] of this part of the country. The last seldom reaches fifty feet in height; it has a remarkably crabbed appearance, white, perfoliate leaves, and soft bark, very obnoxious to the effects of fire, so that most of the trunks are partially charred. Acacia homomalla, tenuissima, and another species, occur in this country, in which some of the birds of V. D. Land abound; such as the Piping Crow, Cracticus hypoleucus, the Jay or Black Magpie, Coronica fuliginosa, the Butcher Bird or Miner, Myzantha garrula, and the Rosella, Rosehill, or Nonpareil Parrot, Platycercus eximius [Eastern Rosella]. There are several sandstone rocks, and pools of water, near the road. From behind one of the former, persons have sometimes been shot by bushrangers; but their depredations have been greatly checked of late, by a more effecient police, and the stricter discipline of the Ironed-gangs, from which it is now difficult to escape. The short herbage, which characterizes the sheep lands of this Colony, become more abundant near Wingelow [Wingello], where we were kindly received by a settler, to whom we had a letter of introduction.
“7th. We visited an Ironed-gang at Marulan. The prisoners had lately been supplied with Bibles and tracts, by order of the Bishop of Australia. The Episcopal service is read to them on First-days, by the officer in charge. Prisoners who are not of good character, are assigned into service, in places remote from Sydney, in order that they may be separated more completely from their old associates. The Marulan gang consists of such as have committed offences after their assignment. They present strong marks of depravity in their countenances, and not a few have defectively formed heads. This circumstance, which is not uncommon among convicts, and is probably among the causes of their turpitude, ought, in some points, at least, to be taken into account; some of them appear to be in a state bordering on insanity or idiotism. Had they yielded to a good influence, their untowardness would probably have been softened or diminished; beyond a doubt, it has been aggravated by yielding to evil. Their case is a very affecting one, and their moral responsibility must be left to the Judge of all the earth. Here the punishment to which they are subjected, for misconduct in the gang, is flagellation; and in some instances they have received, from 600 to 800 lasehes, within the space of eighteen months, at the rate of not more than fifty lashes for one offence ! The ironed-gangs in this Colony may now be said to be placed under a rigid, military discipline, and kept closely guarded, ady and night, by soldiers. No smoking is allowed among them: they are kept closely to work, at least, that is the case with such that are stationed on the roads, in the interior, and are locked up in caravans, from sunset to sunrise.
“After leaving Marulan, the country for about ten miles, was very poor, and covered with low Gum-trees, and very thin grass. It then improved; and on emerging from the forest, at the location of a settler, on a branch of the Wollondilly River, the corn fields looked beautifully green. Our track now led, for about three miles, through a narrow hollow, of good soil, in which there was a chain of pools; it then continued eight miles further, most of the way, through deep hollows, and over low hills, of conglomerate sandstone, basalt, or dirty white quartz, mixed with red or brown, breaking into cubic gravel. We passed a few small huts, forming the village of Towrang, before reaching Goulburn, or Strathallen, at the junction of the Mulwarie Ponds, and Wollondilly Rivers. The old town of Goulburn consisted of a court-house, of slabs, covered with bark, a lock-up house, a few huts, occupied by the mounted police and constables, a cottage of roughly cut timber, and a small inn, affording tolerable accommodation for such a place, as well as a better house or two, at a short distance.
“8th. A neighbouring settler, and the Police-magistrate, called upon us. From the latter, we obtained leave to hold a meeting in the court-house: he also accompanied us to the new township, about a mile distant, where a few scattered buildings of brick, and others of wood, had been erected. One of the latter is an hospital, affording accommodation for about thirty patients. Like other places of this kind, in remote situations, it was pretty fully occupied, by stock-men, and others of the lower order; victims of immorality, the scourge of this class, in sequestered parts of the Colony, frequented by the Aborigines. Goulburn Plain is an extensive down, besprinkled with small herbs, and thin grass, and clear of trees, for several miles. In some places, it runs into gentle undulations, with thinly scattered trees, such as Weeping Gum, White Gum, Box, and Bastard Box. On the margin of the plain, there are woody hills of white, quartzose rock. The plain, and low hills, afford excellent pasturage for sheep, but as each sheep requires from two to three acres, or more, for its support, a large extent of land is required for a considerable flock.
“9th. The meeting in the Court House was attended by only seventeen persons. The population of the neighbourhood is much scattered; and many shew a much stronger inclination to resort to a public-house that to a place of worship. In the afternoon, we had a religious interview with the establishment of a young settler, who emigrated a few years since, and has a fine property, and a good flock of sheep; and who has read and thought more than many, both on natural and religious subjects.
10th. Near a place, where Mountain Limestone crops out, by the side of a chain of ponds, we fell in with a tribe of Blacks, resting by a fire, under the shelter of some bushes; two of whom frequently do turns of work, in hewing wood, drawing water, &c., for the settler at whose house we lodged. One of the women was eating raw sow-thistles, as salad, with avidity.
“in the course of the day, we walked over a continuance of the plain country, more thickly covered with herbage, near the course of the Sully Ponds, to Rossiville; where we met a courteous reception, and joined a company of opulent settlers. The proprietor of this comfortable mansion, like most of the other extensive wool-growers, in this part of the colony, occupies a portion of the unlocated territory, called Menaro [Manaro] Plains, to the south west. The plains of this district, succeed each other, for upwards of 200 miles. They are upon Granite, Mica slate and Quartz, with here and there, Limestone and Basalt. The parts overlaying the granite, are generally free from trees, and from [form] extensive downs. The intervening hills are more or less covered with wood. Snow falls frequently in winter, but it seldom lies many hours hoar frosts are also prevalent, and they sometimes occur in summer. The country is watered by rivers, generally forming chains of ponds, except in rainy weather. These are of great importance to the Australian shepherd, whose flocks must drink twice a day, in the warm weather. In some seasons, a disease called Influenza, makes great havoc among the sheep. Our worthy host, lately lost about two thousand; but not being aware that this mortality could have been prevented by any care on the part of himself or his shepherd, he bore it with becoming patience, as a dispensation of Him, who is Sovereign Lord of all, and who has a right at his pleasure, to give proof that temporal possessions are held subservient to his will.
“11th. We did not think it our duty to proceed further among the scattered inhabitants of this sheep country; who are spreading into the interior, like a mighty flood fixing themselves in temporary huts, until the Government shall survey and sell the land they occupy; when many of them will move further onward; we therefore returned to Goulburn, after having a meeting with about forty persons, in the wool-room, at Rossiville. We next proceeded to Lumley, taking advantage of the guidance of a soldier, who was going that way, who led us by a route of sixteen miles, instead of twenty three, by the road. We crossed a portion of the plain, upon which a shepherd was feeding his flock, and at the same time driving them gently along, as they consumed the thin herbage. In this manner, a flock has to travel a considerable distance, daily, to obtain food and water. Leaving the plain, our route lay through some barren, quartzose forest, and along a narrow valley, with a chain of large ponds, which wound among the hills, for many miles. The water was very grateful to us; for being a little fatigued with the walk from Rossiville, and with the heat, we took some bread and cheese and porter, at Goulburn, which on again walking in the sun, created intolerable thirst. This circumstance brought us to the conclusion, that though porter might seem to revive at the time it is taken, its effects upon the system were most uncongenial to continued exercise, and in no way really beneficial; and in our long and laborious travels, subsequently, we were abundantly confirmed in the great advantages of abstaining from all intoxicating liquors, which, however, we did not entirely abandon the use of, till nearly two years after this period.
“In the pools, in the neighbourhood of Goulburn, there are some plants, nearly allied to those found in the waters of England, such as a few species of Potamogeton and Villarsia; others such as Typha latifolia and Myriophyllum verticllatum are supposed to be identicl with the English species. Here ther is also, a species of Marsilea, the foliage of which sometimes floats upon the water, and resembles that of a four-leaved clover. Acacia graveolens and a holly leaved Grevillea, with greenish flowers were growing on the quartz hills, and a rosemary-leaved Grevillea with crimson flowers, near Rossiville, A few Ducks, Parrots and Cockatoos were the principal birds that attracted our attention.
“Lumley, is the residence of an opulent settler [Robert Futter].The surrounding country is open forest, affording good sheep-pasture, and interspersed with small plains, clear of trees. The Shoal Haven Gullies, which are ravines in a limestone formation [Bungonia], and said to be 1,600 feet deep, are a few miles to the east.”
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