Volume 01: Production and resources of the northern and western districts of New South Wales, 1854 [ca. 1850-1857] - Page 583
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for future discoveries of gold, also in the Grafton Ranges, and in those ranges forming the division of the waters, and in that Country immediately to the westward, in South latitude 24'& 25' and from 146º to 148º east longitude, where a discovery of gold similar to that found in Victoria is anticipated, A population will then pour into the Port Curtis Country such as that which populated the sister colony of Victoria.
The character of the Coast range of Port Curtis is highly auriferous. Very fine specimens of gold have been procured from that part of the Colony, and whether as regards Commercial, pastoral, or agricultural interests, the opening of the Port Curtis Country mut be considered as a great fact in the history of New South Wales.
[?] justifies us in concluding that along the whole line of the great northern Cordillera from the 24th degree of South latitude to the Gulf of Carpentaria will prove to be auriferous, & that gold in greater or less quanties [quantities] will be found at some future period along the whole of this line as we have already found it in localities from the 24th to the 37th degree of South latitude.
ANTICIPATED DISCOVERIES OF GOLD IN THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN DESERT.
I anticipate that a discovery of gold will be made in the great Australian desert from this supposition, that, on the retiring of the waters of the Ocean which existed during the deluge, & which then flowed upon the bosom of this great desert, that both the heavy and light gold must have been displaced from their original deposits and to have been washed into lower levels, where gold is now found in the western slopes of the highlands. The light gold in some localities within a few feet from the surface, and the larger nuggets deposited on the bed rock to the westward of the great range, and the presumption is that deposits of gold in the low Country intervening the mountains by sinking shafts as those in Victoria in the plains of Darling, Gwyder [Gwydir] & Liverpool. I also anticipate that gold will be found in the sands and resting on the bed rock of the great Australian desert, and that there deposits of gold which was washed out remains, the heavy gold in monster nuggets resting on the outer crust which is now termed by the gold diggers the bed rock, and is thene [then] covered up by the sands of the desert.
South Australia may become a gold producing country, the great Australian desert borders the settled districts of that Colony. This great desert lies low, being very little elevated above the level of the sea. This immence [immense] expance [expanse] of nearly level country is of unknown extent, it is supposed that the hollow basin of this desert receives the drainage of at least four hundred thousand square miles. The hot winds experienced in the Southern & eastern Australia Can have no other origin than by a Current of air passing over a large expanse of sandy desert. Captain Hurt in his last expedition in particular, indicated the very next and hot bed of those winds, which are more intense in southern & eastern Australia than in the north eastern parts. Leichhardt in his overland expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington, States that whilst he was on the magnificient [magnificent] downs of Peak Range