so absolutely vertical, that in many places a person standing on the
edge and throwing down a stone, can see it strike the trees in the
abyss below. So unbroken is the line of cliff, that in order to reach
the foot of the waterfall, formed by this little stream, it is said to
be necessary to go sixteen miles round. About five miles distant in
front, another line of cliff extends, which thus appears completely to
encircle the valley; and hence the name of bay is justified, as applied
to this grand amphitheatrical depression. If we imagine a winding
harbour, with its deep water surrounded by bold cliff-like shores, to
be laid dry, and a forest to spring up on its sandy bottom, we should
then have the appearance and structure here exhibited. This kind of
view was to me quite novel, and extremely magnificent.
In the evening we reached the Blackheath. The sandstone plateau has
here attained the height of 3400 feet; and is covered, as before, with
the same scrubby woods. From the road, there were occasional glimpses
into a profound valley, of the same character as the one described; but
from the steepness and depth of its sides, the bottom was scarcely ever
to be seen. The Blackheath is a very comfortable inn, kept by an old
soldier; and it reminded me of the small inns in North Wales.
18th.--Very early in the morning, I walked about three miles to see
Govett's Leap; a view of a similar character with that near the
Weatherboard, but perhaps even more stupendous. So early in the day
the gulf was filled with a thin blue haze, which, although destroying
the general effect of the view added to the apparent depth at which the
forest was stretched out beneath our feet. These valleys, which so
long presented an insuperable barrier to the attempts of the most
enterprising of the colonists to reach the interior, are most
remarkable. Great arm-like bays, expanding at their upper ends, often
branch from the main valleys and penetrate the sandstone platform; on
the other hand, the platform often sends promontories into the valleys,
and even leaves in them great, almost insulated, masses. To descend
into some of these valleys, it is necessary to go round twenty miles;
and into others, the surveyors have only lately penetrated, and the
colonists have not yet been able to drive in their cattle. But the
most remarkable feature in their structure is, that although several
miles wide at their heads, they generally contract towards their mouths
to such a degree as to become impassable. The Surveyor-General, Sir T.
Mitchell, [4] endeavoured in vain, first walking and then by crawling
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