and is thickly strewed with
agates. The hills on the opposite or south side of the valley are
composed of compact felspar, with acicular crystals of glassy or common
felspar and grains of hornblende, crevices of the stone being coated with
films of serpentine or green earth.
(*Footnote. Volume 4 part 1 Second Series Geological Transactions,
Professor Buckland and Mr. De la Beche on the Geology of the
neighbourhood of Weymouth.)
(**Footnote. The porphyry of a hill three miles south of Wingen, consists
of a base of reddish-brown compact felspar, with embedded crystals of
common felspar and disseminated carbonate of lime.)
APPROACH LIVERPOOL RANGE.
December 3.
The party in proceeding crossed several deep gullies in the neighbourhood
of the burning hill; and the road continued to be well marked. At length
we began to ascend the chain of hills, which connects Wingen with Mount
Murulla and the Liverpool range. On gaining the summit of this range we
overlooked Wingen, whose situation was faintly discernible by the light
blue smoke. Three years had elapsed since my first visit to these
slumbering fires. The ridge we were crossing was strewed with fallen
trees; and broken branches with the leaves still upon them marked the
effects of some violent and recent storm. We descended to a beautiful
valley of considerable extent, watered by Page's river, which rises in
the main range. We reached the banks of this stream at four P.M. and
encamped on a fine flat. The extremities from the mountains on the north
descend in long and gradual slopes, and are well covered with grass. This
was already eaten short by sheep. Two babbling brooks water the flat at
the part where we pitched our tents, and which is opposite to Whalan's
station; one of these being the river Page, or Macqueen's River; the
other known only as The Creek. The space between them is flat, and
apparently consists of a soil of excellent quality. The heat of the day
was excessive, the thermometer 80 degrees at sunset.
MOUNT MURULLA.
December 4.
Mount Murulla is a remarkable cone of the Liverpool range, and being
visible from Warrawolong, is consequently an important point in the
general survey of the colony.
From Murulla, the range we had crossed extends eastward, enclosing the
valley in which we were encamped, and which gives birth to the river
Page. Our way now lay westward, towards the head of this valley, in order
to cross by the usual route, the highe
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