Friday 23 September 1836

23 September-At eight a.m., got under way, and worked to the northward, the whole country, as we tacked along, presenting a most beautiful appearance; at two p.m. came to an anchor in quarter less five fathoms, and at half past two, went on shore. Felt some disappointment at the appearance of the land, as it looked so luxuriant from the ship; we could find no fresh water; a lake of some extent on the high ground above the beach proved, on reaching it, to be salt. Although the ground we went over was not so good as the rest we had seen, yet the country a few miles inland appeared the same as that we had left. It getting late, and the surf increasing, we made haste to the boat, and got off just in time, for another half hour would have kept us on shore all night. On our return on board we experienced suddenly a very hot suffocating wind from the N.N.E., and vivid lightning to the westward; at eight the wind shifted suddenly to N.W.; at nine fresh breezes and hazy, and wind veering to S .W., with vivid lightning in the W.S.W. Weather changeable all night, with occasional rain, and a heavy swell from the westward.