The same evening some land was indistinctly seen bearing South.
March 24.
The ensuing daylight discovered to us several islands in the South-South-East, having previously shoaled our soundings from 31 to 10 fathoms; and during the morning we steered through them.
The group contains several low coral-formed islands; the north-easternmost of which proved to be the New Year's Island of Lieutenant McCluer of the Bombay Marine; they are covered with a shrubby vegetation, and are severally surrounded by a coral reef: the principal of them were named Oxley's, McCluer's, and Lawson's Islands, and a larger and higher island in the South-South-West was named in compliment to my friend Captain Charles Grant, C.B., of the Royal Navy, under whose auspices I entered the naval service.
We steered on to the East-South-East through the first part of the night, with every prospect of reaching Cape Arnhem, where our examination of the coast westwardly was to commence.
March 26.
But at midnight the wind changed to the eastward, and at daylight (26th), the land was visible from south to South-West.

At ten o'clock we fetched in close to a low sandy point, and then bore up to the westward along the coast, which appeared, as it afterwards proved to be, a part of the main.
The low point which commenced our survey was called Point Braithwaite, and one mile North-West from it is Point Hall: the shore then trends five miles to the westward to Point Cuthbert, from which a shoal communication extends towards a rock on which the sea broke: we passed within the rock, carrying two and a quarter fathoms; and then hauled in for a point of land, called after my friend Captain G.H.Guion, R.N.; but not succeeding in finding anchorage under it, we bore away along the shore, and at night anchored off Point Turner.

Between Points Guion and Turner is a deep but rocky bay, at the bottom of which is an appearance of an opening lined with mangroves: to the westward of Point Turner is another bay, which circumstances did not then allow of our examining.

From our anchorage the land was traced as far as North-West, and appeared to be an island separated from the main by a strait.
March 27.
The next day we passed through it, and anchored in a bay on the South-West side of the island, at about half a mile from the beach.

The Strait was named Macquarie Strait, after the late Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, who administered the government of New South Wales for a period of nearly twelve years.
As the shores of the bay, in which we had anchored, appeared likely to afford both wood and water, of which articles we were much in want, I was induced to take advantage of the opportunity, and immediately made preparation to commence these occupations.