From Edmund Delisser   16 December 1865

16th Decbr 1865.

Melbourne

At your request I have the pleasure to forward you a short account of my late trip beyond the Great Australian Bight.¹

The expedition which left Melbourne in Janry 1865 under my command had a double object to effect – to explore the Country inland from the Bight, and to sink for fresh water on some claims taken by Messrs. Degraves & Co. near to Fowler’s Bay and the Head of the Bight. I started early in the year for the purpose of taking advantage of the earliest rains, but there was none untill the first week in April and although from that time until the first week of October we had sufficient rain along the coast, it did not penetrate into the interior beyond an average distance of 30 miles, but I don't think that this Country suffered more than other parts of the Continent from drought this year. While waiting for a general fall, I had wells sunk along the coast between Wahganyab and the Bight, and got good water at Coymbra in some sand-hills on the coast within 18 miles from the Bight, thus making the journey between Fowler’s Bay and the Head of the Bight comparatively easy for packing up the provisions. Having waited untill June, I determined to take Mr. Hardwicke one of the party with me, and to lead out 3 pack horses, as far as they would go, in the event of being unsuccessful in finding water, and to return without them on our tracks, hiding water and flour at alternate camps going out.

Leaving one man in charge of provisions and remaining horses at the Bight, I started with Mr. Hardwicke, on the 23rd of June, from a small limestone hole named Kŭtnã which I had found in 1862 and to which place I had packed out a few gallons of water. From here I went a course about N. 60° W. untill the 29th June when having entered scrubby country the evening before I turned north to get over some small hills covered with timber as myall, Sandalwood and Sheyaks. ² The next day the horses not being able to go further and having exhausted our stock of water we were compelled to retrace our steps, the whole distance we had traversed without finding any surface-water.

The chief feature of the Country passed over as shown by the accompanying tracing ³ is the immense plain which I have called the Nūllarbor Plains from it’s being destitute of any trees – which, commencing a few miles from the Coast extends such a long distance that we went 150 miles from the Head of the Bight before we entered a dissimilar Country. This plain, within 40 miles from the Coast, is in general well covered with the saltbushes, “Atriplex” and “Kochia sedifolia” which grew from 1 to 2 ft high, and in places is weIl grassed – the ground is undulating, and the higher portions generally covered with Eremophila Scoparia. Throughout the whole plain basins like clay-pans from a few feet to 2 or 3 acres occur in which, within 60 miles of the Coast Samphire grows, but after 100 miles on our tracks they were thickly covered with small trees Grevillea and Pittosporum phillyroides.

The rock immediately under the surface is limestone and throughout a large portion of the Country we met numerous caves the air from which at daytime, especially in hot weather issues forth with great force – the noise from one we could hear 200 yards away and at the entrance the blast took our hats off. We remarked that at night the current of air is into the caves. From their number the portion marked in particular with “caves” seems to be composed of blocks of limestone enclosing large vacant places. No doubt water is in some of these caves but in the few we examined the numerous fissures prevented us from reaching the lowest levels. The appearance of the small basins clothed with timber have a pleasant effect; often these cannot be discerned untill quite close to the basins, in others they considerably relieve the monotony of the Plain. The soil from the commencement of these basins appears gradually to improve. Saltbush Atriplex gives place to Kochia sedifolia and the grass becomes thicker and greener the proximity of timber most probably being the cause. The soil on the timbered hills is a very red sand, and wherever any open patches were, the grass looked weIl; a few feet below we found limestone. The Sheyaks were as fine any I have seen in South Australia and I believe from the number of Kangaroos, Parrots, and remains of Natives’ fires we were not far from water when we were obliged to return. The latitude of ‘Peelunibee’ was taken by observation, but that of the termination of our trip is by calculation as in consequence of the almost certainty of having to leave extras behind I did not take my sextant out.

I remain dear Sir

Yours truly,

E. A Delisser

I have not yet received the information promised me by Mr. Selwyn to whom I gave the few fossils I carried away – but the whole Country is a Iimestone formation – tertiary.

Granite was found about 30 feet at a well 2 miles from Pindubba, ⁴ or about 14 ms ⁵ N.N.E. of Fowler’s Bay.

 Kŭ tnã is about 40' N.W. of Yeer Cumban Cowie, at the head of the Bight. ⁶

Atriplex

Eremophila Scoparia

Grevillea

Kochia sedifolia

Pittosporum phillyroides