Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 2.djvu/292

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

SA?SG nmF??r?oss. 267 The Repulse Isles are of small size; they are surrounded A. by rocks, which do not extend more than a quarter of a mile Sect. IL from them. The summit of the !ar?st island is in latitude 1?. East Coast. 20 � S", and longitude 148 � 30'. Variation 6 �E. Between Capes C6uway and Hilsborough the ttood-tide comes from the north-eastward, but is very irre?lar in the dlrectlon of the stream. At an anchorage off the island near the latter cape the tide rose twelve feet, but close to the Repulse Isles, the rise was eighteen feet. At the former place, the moon being full, high water took place at about three-quarters past ten o'clock; by an observation the next day at the latter, it was a quarter of an hour later: the max- imum rate was about one and a half knot. WHITSUNDAY PASSAGE, formed by the northern group of the Cumberland Islands, is from three to six miles small of rocks wide, and, with the exception of a t liatch within a quarter of a mile from Cap? Conway, and a sa,d- bank (that is probably dry, or nearly so at low water) off Round Head, is free from dange,r. The shores appear to be bold to, and the depth, in the fair way, varies between twenty and thirty fathoms; the shoal off Round Head stretches in a BT.N.W. direction, but its extent was not as- certained. In steering through the strait, particularly dur?g the tlood-tide, this shoal should be avoided by keeping well over to the east shore; for the tide there sets across the strait; it is about a mile and a half from Round Head, in whicl? space the water is ten and fourteen fathoms deep. Between Round Head (in latitude 20 � 30") and Cape Conway is a bay, where there appeared to be good anchor- age out of the strength of the tides; and to the north of Round Head is another bay, the bottom of which is an