It is found amongst the Spinifex (Triodia) scrub of the interior.
Travelled till after dark through and over spinifex plains, wooded with acacia and mulga scrub, and camped without water and only a little scrub for the horses, having travelled nearly forty miles.
We arrived at the foot nearly naked, and got into open sandy rises and valleys, with mulga and plenty of grass, amongst which there is some spinifex growing.
A good deal of spinifex but no scrub to interrupt us.
Changed course to 347 degrees for a small hill in the distance and at two and a half miles crossed several irregular watercourses from the north flowing to south and east; went then to a small spinifex rise, timbered.
Immediately after starting on this bearing we passed over rather open ground with spinifex but not very strong.
From the last creek, undulations of fair and spinifex country; and slopes of ridges covered withspinifex (slopes to northward).
Travelled along the sand ranges and over spinifex and stony flooded flats, then over one small sandhill and stony desert.
The spinifex that grew in the interstices of the rocks was also no inconsiderable hindrance to our movements.
In wandering about through the spinifex upon the cliffs he saw four small kangaroos; and near the waterholes one of the crew saw a fifth, of a gray colour and of a larger size than usual.
This island, like Capstan Island, is a heap of sandstone rocks, clothed with the usual quantity of spinifex and small shrubs.
Slavery" seemed almost to understand the sympathetic words, and grunted feebly in reply; then I was surprised to see him struggle to his feet and proceed to feed on the spinifex tufts growing around.
The dwarfed eucalypti became sparser and sparser, and in their room appeared bushy clumps of saltbush and tufts of spiky spinifex grass.
On the extreme edge of the clearing, half hidden by the spidery tendrils of the sparse fringing bush, two natives lay sprawling on the sand, carefully piling a heap of twigs and spinifex grass, as if in preparation for a large fire.
The varieties of the indigenous grasses that cover the great western plains are innumerable; all are more or less eaten by stock, even the triodia or spinifex that is looked on as a desert grass, and of a formidable and forbidding nature.
Great Sandy Desert seen by Sturt, red ridges of sand running east and west, covered with the inhospitable Triodia or Spinifex grass.
The Desert consists of spinifex ridges and sandy sterile country, covered in large patches with the desert poison shrub botanically known as "Gastrolobium grandiflora.
The way out west in those first days led up the Cape River through poor country, with a good deal of spinifex grass and patches of poison bush.
Transverse section of a leaf of Spinifex squarrosus.
Very often the spikelets are unisexual and the male and female spikelets may be on the same plant as in Coix Lachryma-Jobi and Polytoca barbata, or they may be on different plants as in Spinifex squarrosus.
The sea-shore grass Spinifex squarrosus is another example of the same kind.
Spinifex and sand resumed their predominance as the travellers left the lake behind them.
We were obliged to come a long way round before we could get to it, the hills being all rough sharp rocks, impassable for horses; abundance of grass with a little spinifex on the hills.
We entered upon red sandy soil, withspinifex and grass, from which we changed our bearing.
There being nothing but spinifex on the ranges and creeks, the horses had been travelling nearly all night in search of food, and had gone a long way before they were overtaken.
On the west side there is a layer of rocks on the top of the hard sandstone, black and rugged, resembling lava; spinifex close to the creek.
Ascended one of the rises, which are not high, and found myself on a sandy table land, which continued for six miles, having coarse grass and spinifex growing on it.
Started on the same course to some hills, through sand hills and spinifexfor ten miles.
For the first eighteen miles the soil was light and sandy, with spinifex and a little grass mixed.
We first passed through a well-grassed plain with a little scrub, then again through hard spinifex to the range.
We arrived at the foot nearly naked, and got into open sandy rises and valleys, with mulga and plenty of grass, among which there is some spinifex growing.
Got an early start, and continued through the scrub and spinifex on the same course, 340 degrees.
The spinifex found in the Mally scrubs of the south attains a great size, generally assuming the appearance of a large tuft or bush from one to two feet in diameter, and twelve to eighteen inches high.
Spinifex everywhere; it is a most fearful country.
Could see the dust from the party coming across the spinifex sand-hills, and, descending, met them just before sundown.
At twenty miles, over red sandy hills covered with spinifex and of the most miserable nature, we came to a narrow samphire flat, following which south for two miles, we camped without water and scarcely any feed.
The last ten miles was over clear spinifex country of the most wretched description.
Got off early and continued easterly to a low stony range three miles off, over spinifex sandy country.
The country ahead seems promising, but there is a great deal of spinifex almost everywhere.
Spinifex generally, a few grassy patches intervening, on which were numbers of kangaroos.
Country passed over to-day was poorly grassed, and spinifex patches here and there.
Four of the horses had been lost in a journey of ninety miles; water was not to be found; the natives were troublesome; and the eye could discern nothing ahead but spinifex desert and rolling sand-hills.
From the Barcoo a passage was made to the Alice through much spinifex country.
Day after day it was the same weary journeying over spinifex ridges and sandy valleys, without any indication of the fine country they had hoped to discover; but, to their credit be it said, no one even hinted about giving up the enterprise.
One day whilst Yamba and I were passing through one of those eternal regions of sand-hills and spinifex which are the despair of the Australian explorer, I suddenly saw in the distance what I was certain was a flock of sheep.
The country through which these tracks led us was for the most part a mere dry, sandy waste, covered with the formidable spinifex or porcupine grass.
We found he had burnt a patch of spinifex where he had left the other horses' tracks.
On the whole, we were extremely fortunate in the matter of water,--although the natives often told me that the low wastes of sand and spinifex were frequently so dry, that it was impossible even for them to cross.
Still we plodded on, finally striking a terrible spinifex country, which was inconceivably worse than anything we had hitherto encountered.
The country through which we were passing at that time is a dreary, undulating expanse of spinifex desert, with a few scattered and weird-looking palms, a little scrub, and scarcely any signs of animal life.
I was still thinking in this strain when we rounded the bluff and commenced to crawl across the intervening stretch of spinifex grass.
The spinifex grew knee-high and its roots extended in all directions.
On leaving this oasis, the explorers found themselves in less attractive country; spinifex and sand became more frequent features of the landscape, and the occasional water-supply became precarious.
On the 30th of June Forrest made a scouting excursion to the eastward, but experienced ill fortune; for having penetrated as far as possible into the spinifex country, his horses gave out.
Giles left the settled district at the Alberga, and made several determined efforts to push through the sandy spinifex desert that had baffled so many.
Rudall this time went south of the head of the Oakover, and penetrated the dry spinifexcountry below the Tropic.
He wrote a book, Spinifex and Sand, which contains a most interesting account of this journey, as well as a graphic and picturesque description of the physical features of the Great Sandy Desert.
Far away to the north and east, the grey horizon was as level and as uniform as the placid sea; spinifex everywhere, unbroken by ranges or elevations within over thirty miles.
This time they were successful in inducing some natives to guide them to the exact spot where the remains lay amongst the spinifex and sand.
Picking up the tracks of the main party, I followed them to camp, not sorry to have a rest; for it was ten hours since Godfrey and I had had anything to eat or drink, and the rocks were rough and the spinifex dense.
Once through the dense scrub surrounding the lake, and our old friends sand and spinifex lay before us.
In the following year Giles again crossed the Colony from West to East, some 350 miles North of his first route, and encountered considerably worse country, spinifex desert covered with light gravel.
In the spinifex they were easily seen, and to their cry an answering yell came over the ridge and other women and children appeared.
We saw no traces of spinifex rats at any of the wells we found, nor did we see any water which they could reach or from which, having reached it, they could climb up again to the surface.
Unrested still, he must put on the billy, And eat of the meat that is canned, He must take his full fill, he must face willy-nilly The Spinifexand the Sand.
A number of dingoes serenaded us as we worked at night; what they live upon is not quite clear, unless it be spinifex rats.
The stone or glass heads are firmly fixed in a lump of spinifex gum, and this is held firm on the shaft by kangaroo tail sinews.
Far to the north and east the horizon was as level and uniform as the sea; spinifex everywhere; neither hills nor ranges could be seen for a distance of quite thirty miles.
Made many determined attempts to cross the spinifex desert, but returned unsuccessful.
He was unfortunate; the two travelled for twenty miles over undulating sandhills covered with spinifex without seeing a sign of water.
This time he was unfortunate, for he soon found himself fairly in the spinifex desert, and his horses knocked up.
The explorers now got into less attractive country, the spinifex sandhills began to become a familiar feature, and the water supply less to be depended on.
Far to the north and east it was all spinifex country with no appearance of hills or watercourse, in fact a barren worthless desert.
The poison plant that caused such havoc amongst the horses of both Jardine and Austin mostly affects the spinifex country.
The brush was very dense, although there were open intervals; it consisted of trees and shrubs of the usual kind, the soil was very sandy, and there was a good deal of spinifex upon it.
Spinifex and a new species of mesembryanthemum, with light pink flowers on a slender stalk, were the only plants growing in that wilderness, if I except a few withered acacia trees about four feet high.
Spinifex generally covered the sand ridges, which looked like ocean swells rising before us, and many were of considerable height.
These sand hills had very precipitous sides and broken summits, and being of a bright red colour, they looked in the distance like long lines of dead brick walls, being perfectly bare, or sparingly covered with spinifex at the base.
The country still continued unchanged, sand andspinifex were the universal covering of the land, and only round the edges of the little flats were a few stunted shrubs to be seen.
They had even been amongst the spinifex gathering the seed of the mesembryanthemum, of which they must obtain an abundant harvest.
The spinifex was close and matted, and the horses were obliged to lift their feet straight up to avoid its sharp points.
I do mean to head them off, and drive them down from the range into the spinifex country about thirty miles from here, when I can round them up," said Lamington softly, as if he were speaking of driving game.
Grainger, instantly remembering that Lamington had said that he meant to try and head off Sandy and his myalls down into the spinifex country.
At one end was a knob of hardened gum from spinifex grass, and a long string made of the hair of a lubra was attached to it.
It was bound to the shaft with kangaroo sinews and spinifex gum in such a way that the black-boy had no hesitation in pointing to the mountain range to the left of them.
The string frizzled instantly, the knob of spinifex melted and flared up, and the bone was soon reduced to white powder.
It is barren and covered with spinifex from turret to basement, wherever sufficient soil can be found among the stones to admit of its growth.
The wallabies hide during the day amongst the spinifex bushes, and feed, like other rodents, on their roots at night.
At this distance from the creek the sandhills mainly fell off, and the country was composed of ground thickly clothed with spinifex and covered all over with brown gravel.
After Saleh left us we passed only one more salt lake, and then the country became entirely be-decked with unbroken scrub, while spinifex covered the whole ground.
A breeze from the north-west caused the dust raised by the pack-horses, which we drove in a mob before us, travelling upon the loose soil where the spinifex had all been lately burnt, to blow directly in our faces.
The few native inhabitants of these regions occasionally burn every portion of their territories, and on a favourably windy day a spinifex fire might run on for scores of miles.
The horses being heavily packed, and the spinifex distressing them so much, we found a convenient spot where the animals could water without bogging, and camped.
Here Jimmy Andrews set fire to the spinifex close to all our packs and saddles, and a strong hot wind blowing, soon placed all our belongings in the most terrible jeopardy.
The only difference in the country was that it was now more open, though the spinifex was as lively as ever.
To the west-south-west the natives were hunting, and as usual burning the spinifex before them.
We decided to go up on a spinifex ridge, out of sight, to sink, what turned out to be a three-cornered shaft, and so gain experience.
We left the Cape River here, and followed Amelia Creek through a lot of spinifex country.
The soil beneath our feet was sandy and thickly clothed with spinifex (a prickly grass) which in spite of our thick trousers slightly but continually wounded our legs.
Rain to send the Gilbert down in a howling yellow flood, and turn this blarsted spinifex waste of scorching sand and desolation into green grass--and save me and the youngsters from giving it best, and going under altogether.
The ground is in some parts profusely clothed with Spinifex hirsutus, Labil.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "spinifex" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
