Flinders Journal – 3 September

Friday 3 September, 1802 Aiken's Island "A seine was hauled upon the small beaches at the south end of the island, and brought on shore a good quantity of mullet, and of a fish resembling a cavally; also a kind of horse mackerel, small fish of the herring kind, and once a sword fish of between four and five feet long. The projection of the snout, or sword of this animal, a foot and a half in length, was fringed with strong, sharp teeth; and he threw it from side to side in such a furious way, that it was difficult to manage him even on shore." (P49) "In returning to the boat, a chase after a kangaroo had led one of the gentlemen out of his reckoning." (P49-50) "Pine Mount is stony, but covered with large trees of the kind denoted by its epithet; the country between it and the water side is grassy, bears timber trees, and is of a tolerably good soil, such as might be cultivated. There are small creeks of salt water in the low land; and in one of them a fish was shot which furnished the party with a dinner. Pine Mount is composed of the greenstone of the German mineralogists; but in some other parts of the neighbourhood the stone seems to be different, and contains small veins of quartz, pieces of which are also scattered over the surface. At Aken's Island there was some variety. The most common kind was a slate, containing in some places veins of quartz, in a state nearly approaching to crystallization, and in others some metallic substance, probably iron. The basis of most other parts of the island was greenstone; but in the eastern cliffs there was a soft, whitish earth; and on the north-west side of the island, a part of the shore consisted of water-work grains and small lumps of quartz, of coral, pumice stone, and other substances jumbled together, and concreted into a solid mass.... No fresh water was found, unless at a distance from the shore, and then only in small quantities. Pine trees are plentiful;, but they grow up the stony hills at a distance from the water side ... mangroves. "(p50-51)

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