Rockhampton.

[Illustration: Balloon Canvas]

CHAPTER XVII.

_THE EAST COAST._

_Friday, August 5th._--At 1.30 A.M. we anchored off Johnstone Point,
and at 8 o'clock we hove anchor and proceeded to the mouth of the
Fitzroy River. The pilot left us at 10.30, and we proceeded out to sea
under sail. There was a strong wind from the south-east, and I was
glad to stay in bed all day. We passed through the Cumberland Isles,
and Tom had a rather anxious night, as the navigation was very
intricate.

_Saturday, August 6th._--The morning broke clear and fine, the fresh
breeze still continuing. The scenery during the day was lovely, and I
was carried into the deck-house in order that I might enjoy it. The
views were more like the Inland Sea of Japan than the tropical
scenery, made up of cocoa-nut palms, tree-ferns, and coral islands,
which I had been looking for. The mountain shapes were very beautiful,
as were also the bays and inlets, and the varied colours of the land,
sea, and sky gave brilliancy and effect to the landscape. The east
coast of Australia at this season of the year is a perfect
cruising-ground for yachtsmen. The Great Barrier reef, extending for a
distance of 1,000 miles from Swain Reefs to Cape Yorke, protects the
coast from the heavy swell of the Pacific. The steady breezes from the
south-east are favourable for sailing, especially in the direction in
which we are steering.

At 4 P.M. we were off Pine Island, a small islet of the Percy group,
on which a light has been established. From Pine Island onwards to the
Whitsunday Passage the navigation recalls the experiences of many
pleasant summers on the west coast of Scotland. The inner route, which
we followed, passes between numberless rocks and islands. The Percy
Isles form a distinct group, extending twenty miles from north to
south, and eight miles from east to west. To the westward of the Percy
Isles a still larger group has received the collective name of
Northumberland, the several islands being distinguished by familiar
Northumbrian names. Advancing northwards, at a distance of some sixty
miles from the Percy group, the Cumberland, Sir James Smith, and
Whitsunday groups form a continuous archipelago on the eastern side of
the passage. The highest peaks attain an elevation little short of
1,000 feet. The islands are for the most part richly wooded. Some
peaks are clothed with timbers to the summit, others are smooth and
grassy, a few are