SATURDAY 15 JANUARY 1803

Early next morning the botanists landed on Groote Eylandt, and I went to Finch’s Island with the second lieutenant, to take bearings and astronomical observations.  From the western head, I saw that the bay extended six or eight miles above the ship, to the southward, and that the southern outlet, beyond Winchilsea Island, was about one mile wide; but the whole seemed to be too shallow for any thing larger than boats.  Amongst the bearings taken from this station, those most essential to the survey were,

Groote Eylandt, the woody north-west bluff,         S. 56 deg. 46’ W.
A distant wedge-shaped rock, the N. E. bluff,       N. 59  55  W.
Chasm I., the steep west end,                       N.  3  51  E.

And from another station, half a mile to the E. S. E., I set Groote Eylandt, the central hill, at S. 14 deg. 27’ E.

This bearing and that of the north-west bluff, formed connecting links in the chain of longitude round the island.

SUNDAY 16 JANUARY 1803

Next day the botanists landed upon Winchilsea Island, and further astronomical observations were taken upon that of Finch; where also a part of the ship’s company went to divert themselves, and to wash their linen; and in the evening, we prepared to quit North-west Bay.

A close-grained sand stone, nearly resembling that of Pellew’s Group, seems to form the basis of Groote and the neighbouring islands; we found also coral, ironstone, and quartz.  In many places, quartz in almost a crystallised state was sprinkled in grains through the sand stone, and in others, the sand stone itself was partly vitrified.  Wherever we landed, the surface was so entirely composed of stone and sand, that the idea of any kind of cultivation could in no wise be assimilated with it; the hills at a little distance from the water side were, however, well covered with wood, and it is not improbable, that there may be vallies in the central parts of Groote Eylandt possessing some degree of fertility.  The central hill, which is six or eight hundred feet in elevation, appeared to be not so much as three leagues from the head of North-west Bay, and I was desirous to have made an excursion to the top, to see the interior of the island; but the state of the ship being such as to press us forward with all practicable haste, it was not attempted; nor did I stop to examine particularly the head of the bay, since it appeared to be shallow, and of little interest to navigation.

The wood on Groote Eylandt was mostly composed of different species of eucalyptus; the trees were small, and might do for fire wood and very common purposes, but did not seem calculated for any superior use.  Chasm Island was the sole place where the nutmeg was found, though in general, the gleanings of the botanists were tolerably fortunate.  None of the native inhabitants were seen, nor any kangaroos or other quadrupeds; and birds seemed to be scarce.  Small quantities of water, deposited in holes of the rocks by the late rains, were useful to the seamen for washing their clothes; but we did not find any from which a ship could be supplied, nor were there any beaches convenient for hauling the seine.