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Difficult terrain and navigation were features of this part of Hume and Hovell's expedition in 1824.
Your journey will not be as arduous An account of Hume and Hovell's journey: "The most serious crisis arose a few days after sighting the Australian Alps. Hovell wanted to continue south in the path of the Alps, and Hume was for turning west and seeking a way to avoid the mountains, since neither would give in, they agreed to part. According to the much later account of Angel, a disgraceful quarrel broke out. 'Before they parted,' he said, 'they had a row about who was to have the tent; they were going to cut it in two, but Mr Hume let Mr Hovell have it. Then they quarrelled about the frying pan and broke it in pulling at it.' Hovell had not gone very far, though, before he and his men realized the futility of continuing that way. Boyd hurried back and found Hume's track, and they were all reunited, before dark. It must have been even more galling for Hovell when Hume soon after showed his ability to lead them out into open country, especially when, as good luck would have it, Hume had hit upon the only point where it was possible to escape. the route lay across ravines as deep as 1,000 feet, which it looked impossible to descend; but the tracks of kangaroos had carved a narrow path for the bushman's eye to follow and, before long, they were able to travel south-west fairly consistently. The worst feature of these few days, 9, 10 and 11 November 1824, were the small flies which pestered them and gave them no peace. the horses stood almost in the camp fires hoping the smoke would deter the pests; the dogs lay down in the waterholes; and the bullocks in the longest grass, trying to escape. The dogs were so exhausted by then that they were seldom able to track down game; and one had been severely cut and almost killed by a kangaroo. In the following weeks there was so little meat that they had to be fed on boiled flour. Then on the afternoon of 11 November, the men arrived on the summit of one of the most westerly hills, and there in front of them lay gentle plains, thinly wooded with blue gum and stringy bark, and lush grass. Two outstanding landmarks on these plains they named King Parrot creek, after the abundant native King Parrot birds found there. The other, which the cattle had trouble swimming across was named Muddy Creek (Now known as Yea River). Monday, 6 December 1824 was another wearying day; the first halt did not come until two o'clock because they could not find water. Curiously enough, that evening rain fell for the first time since 22 October. Worse was to come on the next day. After crossing King Parrot Creek near the present site of Flowerdale, two ranges had to be climbed and descended, and the top of the second was so densely covered with brush-wood that it was impossible to see ten yards in any direction. Two men went ahead cutting a path for the cattle, but night fell and stranded the party without water or grass, on rough and stony ground completely surrounded by that dreadful barricade. Hovell wrote in his diary: To describe this brush or scrub is almost impossible. We could not see either over or under nor two yards before. Sometimes we were on the top of dead logs lying five or six feet above the ground, at other times in holes fully as deep, and had we been seen coming into a town in the state we were in, people would have sworn that we had been in some drunken affray. Leeches, flies and mosquitoes made it an even more miserable night. The men had gone only one and a quarter miles the next day across the 'Jullian' Range when it became impossible to continue; they had to return the way they had come to King Parrot Creek, finding water on the way which gave the animals their first drink in eighteen hours. On 9 December 1824 Hume and Hovell left the party, and set out alone with enough supplies for four days. This time they climbed a mountain in the same range they had crossed the day before, hoping to see the sea from the summit. They reached the top by ten o'clock that morning but there was no view and the mountain has ever since been called Mount Disappointment. For the next two hours the leaders scrambled on hands and knees, the descent was so difficult, and were very relieved to find about midday a spring where they paused to rest. In the whole of the afternoon they managed to cover only four miles. The way was made extremely difficult by a species of grass (probably Dianella), which they described as four or five feet high, with a blade about one and a half inches wide, whose edges were so sharp that they could wound severely. Exhausted, lacerated, and uncertain if they were even proceeding in the right direction, there was nothing for it but to return. Hume and Hovell rejoined the expedition on the morning of 10 December and, by two o'clock that afternoon, they had all set out again, following the course of the King Parrot Creek in a more westerly direction. the scenery about them consisted of gentler hills and plains, a few trees, and stony ground suitable for sheep pasture. their stores improved the next day when two kangaroos were killed and a couple of cod fish were caught, but the aborigines had set fire to the grass ahead, and a sudden change of wind blew the flame and smoke in their faces, forcing them to beat a hasty retreat back to the creek which they had left a mile and a half before. They were up and away before sunrise the next morning, 11 December, to avoid any breeze which might stir the flames and, by seven o'clock, were eight miles farther on, at the top of a range of hills which afforded a view of open forest hills. the end of that day saw them camped beside what they named Sunday Creek, twelve and a half miles farther on, with the prospect of an easier route in front of them, though ringed by fire. today's Broadford lies only a couple of miles from their camp." For a more indepth version of Hume and Hovell's journey refer to: http://gutenberg.net.au/ausdisc/ausdisc2-09.html Enjoy the drive and views
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