James Cook - A Journal of the proceedings of His Majesty's Bark Endeavour on a voyage round the world, by Lieutenant James Cook, Commander, commencing the 25th of May 1768 - 23 Oct. 1770 - Page 326

New Wales or E.n Coast of New Holland
[margin] of the tides & currents [/margin]
of their own for any one article we could offer them, this in my opinion argues that they think themselves provided with all the necessarys of life & that they have no superfluities. I shall conclude the [?] of this country with a few observations on the current & tides upon the coast, because I have mention'd in the course of this journal that the latter hath sometime set one at & sometimes another which I shall endeavour to acces.n for in the best manner I can, from the Lat.de of 32° or above downwards to Sandy Cape in the Lt.de of 24°:40' we constantly found a current setting to the southward at the rate of 10 or 15 miles per day. more or less according to the distance we were from the land. for it runs stronger in shore than in the offing all this time I had not been able to satisfy myself  whether the flood tide came from the southward eastward of northward but judged it to come from the SE. but the first time we anchor'd upon the bank which was in the Lat.de of 24°:30' & about 10 leag.s to the SE of Buchard Bay we found there the flood to come from the NW. on the contrary 30 leg.s further to the NW on the So. side of Keppel Bay we found the flood to come from the East & at the northern part of the said bay we found it came from the northward but with a much slower motion than the easterly tide. Again on the eastside of the Bay of Inlets we found the flood to set strong to the Westw.d as far as the opening of Bisad Sound. but on the No. side of that sound the flood came with a slow motion from the NW & when at anchor before Repulse Bay we found the flood to come from the northward. we need only admit the flood tide to come from the EastSE & then all these saming contradictions will be found to be conformable to reason & experience. It is well known that where there are deep inlets large [?] etc into low lands that it is not occasioned by fresh water rivers there is a very great indraught of the flood tide the direction of which will be determined according to the position or direction of the coast which from the entrance in such inlets, and this direction the tide must follow. let it be ever so contrary to their general course set at sea & where the tides are weak as they are in general upon this coast a large inlet will if I myself call it attract the flood tide for many leagues. Anyone need only cast an eye over the coast to be made sensible of what I have here advanced. to the northward of Whitsunday Passage there are few or no larger inlets & consequently the flood sets to the northward or NW - according to the direction of the coast & ebb the contrary. but this is to be understood at a little distance from land or where there is no creeks or inlets for where such are be they ever so small they draw the flood from the southward eastw.d & northward as I found by experience while we lay in Endeavour River. Another thing I have observed upon the tides which ought to be remark;d which