1

1798
February       On Thursday 1^st at noon, passed between the heads with a moderate breeze at N.N.E. At sunset, the northern Hat Hill bore W.b.W.* six or seven leagues. On the following Friday 2 noon, the land bore south south west to north north west through the haze, five or six leagues distant, being irregular and high. The wind was in light airs from the south-ward, and the latitude observed 35° 42' south.
    Standing in shore we made some small lumps of moderately high land; which, at seven in the evening, bore S ¼ W three quarters of a mile; and proved to be two rocky islets about a cables length asunder, but connected or nearly so, by a reef: a smaller, low island was shut in at the back in this direction about one mile distant. In this situation we had eight-and-half fathoms, and standing in towards Bateman Bay the water shoaled to seven and six fathoms, when we tacked and stood out; a steep head, which was taken for Point Upright, then bearing N.E., with a small rocky island or rocks lying off it. The first islands appeared to us to be about two miles off the south head of the bay; but the weather was too hazy to distinguish anything clearly. At eight A.M. this low island Saturday 3 bore N.W. two or three miles. We were then standing to the southward, with a light breeze at N.N.E., and when abreast of the outermost projecting point, and three quarters of a mile