After giving our visitor some information respecting the coast and the reef off Cape Moreton, which he claimed as his discovery, but which, much to his surprise, we showed him already laid down on Captain Flinders' chart of 1801, he returned to his ship, and we resumed our course to the northward.
July 18.
At nine o'clock the next evening, having passed Indian Head in the morning, we rounded Breaksea Spit, and at midnight brought to the wind in order to make Lady Elliot's Island.
July 19.
But, finding at daylight that a current had drifted us past it, we steered on, and at ten o'clock discovered a group of low woody islets.
They were named Bunker's Isles.

It has been since ascertained that they abound with turtle and beche de mer, the latter of which, if not both, will at some future time become of considerable importance to the coasting trade of New South Wales.
July 20.
On the 20th we anchored on the south side of Port Bowen, in the entrance of the inlet that extends to the southward within the projection of Cape Clinton; but in doing this we were unfortunate enough to get aground, and receive very serious damage.

After passing the Cape and hauling round its inner trend towards the sandy bay, we had to beat to windward to reach the anchorage, and, in the act of tacking on the western side of the inlet, the tide swept us upon a sandbank, over which, as the wind was blowing obliquely upon it, the cutter continued to drive until the sails were taken in and an anchor laid out astern to check her; but before we could extricate her from the dangerous situation in which she was placed, it was found necessary to lay out another bower-anchor, for there was a rolling swell upon the bank, and every time it left her she struck very hard upon the ground.

Happily the tide was flowing, and as soon as the vessel floated she was warped into a secure birth within the heads of the inlet.
During the time that the cutter had been on the bank, which was two hours and a half, she was continually striking; and at one time we heard a loud crash which gave us reason to fear that some serious damage had happened.
At first it was thought either that the pintles of the rudder were broken or that the stern-post was rent; but upon examination both appeared to have escaped; and as no leak was observed during the night I indulged the hope that the noise was not occasioned by any accident that would inconvenience us, or oblige our premature return to Port Jackson.

That this hope proved to be fallacious will soon appear; and, had the extent of the damage received been discovered before we left this anchorage, I should not have ventured further up the coast, but have immediately returned to Port Jackson.