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: No. 323

               New Wales & East Coast of New Holland

-tivated land in the whole Country; they know however the use of Taara & sometimes eat them. We do not know that they eat anything raw but roast or broil all they eat on slow small fires. Their Houses are mean small Hovels, not much bigger than an Oven, made of peices of Sticks, Bark, Grass etc. & even these are seldom used but in the Wet season, for in the day times we know they as often sleep in the OpenAir as any where else. We have seen many of their Sleeping places, where there has been only some branches or peices of Bark [riss?] about a foot from the Windward side.
Their Canoes are as mean as can be conceived, especially to the Southward, where all we saw were made of one peice of the Bark of Trees about 12 or 14 feet long, drawn or Tied together at one end. As I have before made mention, these Canoes will not Carry above 2 people, in general their is never more than one in them; but, bad as they are, they do very well for the purpose they apply them to, better than if they were larger, for as they draw but little water they go in them upon the Mud banks, and pick up Shell fish, etc., without going out of the Canoe. The few Canoes we saw to the Northward were made out of a Log of wood hollow'd out, about 14 feet long & very narrow with outriggers these will carry 4 people. During our whole stay in Endeavour River we saw but one Canoe & had great reason to think that the few people that resided about that place had no more, this one served them to cross the River & to go a Fishing in etc. They attend the Shoals & flatts one where or any  another every day at low water to gather Shellfish or whatever they can find to eat, & have each a little bag to put what they get in, this bag is made of net work. They have not the least knowledge of Iron or many other Metal that we know of, their working Tools must be made of Stone, bone, & Shells, those made of the former are very bad if I may judge from one of their Adzes I have seen _________
Bad & mean as their Canoes are they at Certain seasons of the Year (so far as we know) go in them to the most distant Islands which lay upon the Coast, for we never landed upon one but what we saw signs of People having been there before. We were surprized to find Houses etc upon Lizard Island which lies 5 Leagues from the nearest part of the Main, a distance we before thought they could not have gone in their Canoes.
    The Coast of this Country, at least as much of it as lays to the Northward of 25 degrees of Latitude abounds with a great Number of fine bays & Harbours which are Shelter'd from all winds, but the Country itself so far as we know doth not produce any one thing that can become an Article in 
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