Lieutenant Oxley, in his late expedition to Moreton Bay (1823), found reason to doubt whether the pine that he found in the Brisbane River was the Araucaria excelsa of Norfolk Island.) The country in the vicinity of Mount Warning appears to be productive and wooded; for although the hills are steep and rather precipitous, yet their verdant and agreeable appearance augurs favourably for the fertility of the valleys between them.
May 25.
Light winds retarded our progress along the coast until the evening of the 25th, when the wind freshened up from the westward, and by the following sunset we were abreast of Cape Moreton.
May 27.
The following morning part of the sandy peninsula was in sight.
May 28.
But we did not pass round Breaksea Spit until the next day.

We then steered across Hervey's Bay towards Bustard Bay and passed a small island that was discovered by the ship Lady Elliot in 1816 and that had not yet a place upon the chart of this part of the coast.
(*Footnote.

See Appendix A Part 2.) May 29.
The next day at noon we were off Bustard Bay and passed half a mile without the dry rock which lies off its north end.
The course was now directed for Gatcombe Head of Port Curtis, whither it had become necessary to proceed, to repair some little damage that we had met with during the preceding night; as we proceeded a shoal opening presented itself round the north head of Bustard Bay, probably communicating with the inundated lands at the back: here the coast is lined with rocky hills, on which we saw no timber but what was stunted.
The trending in of the land round the next point led us to the discovery of a considerable inlet which had escaped Captain Flinders' observation.
On hauling round the point and steering towards what had at first the appearance of being the principal opening, another presented itself to the eastward, divided from the first by a projecting point (Middle Head); which appeared to be well furnished with grass and trees, and was as picturesque as it was prominent.
As this latter opening appeared to be more considerable than that which trends round the west side of Middle Head and had at first occupied our attention, we proceeded to examine it; and without difficulty found the channel, with good and well-sheltered anchorage within the entrance.

In working in, the cutter took the ground on the south side of the port, but was got off again without suffering any damage.
May 30.
In the morning we landed and ascended a hill on the west side of the bay, whence we had an extensive prospect; but it did not impress us with any better opinion of the utility or merits of the bay than that it would afford shelter to moderate-sized vessels.

It is a large sheet of water, full of shoals, and probably communicates with the sea by a small opening near the point next to the northward of Bustard Bay; the dry rock off which was distinctly seen over the land.