7th November.
At 7.20 a.m. resumed our journey southwards, over a high and somewhat
rugged range of sandstone hills; passed a short distance to the east of
Mounts Peron and Lesueur. The valleys were wooded with red and white-gum
of large growth, but the hills produced little besides coarse scrub. At
2.20 p.m. passed a large mound spring; at 2.45 crossed the Hill River of
Captain Grey; the land on its banks, with the exception of a few grassy
hills on the northern side, was very scrubby and indifferent. Ascending
the high sandstone country on the south side of the river, we halted at
5.35 in a sandy valley trending north-west, in which we found a small
patch of grass around a native well; but we were not much in want of
water, being completely drenched by a heavy shower of rain just after we
halted.
8th November.
Resumed our journey at 8.0 a.m., steering north 105 degrees east magnetic
over a range of high scrubby sandstone hills. At 1.15 p.m. crossed a
small stream-bed trending westwards in a wide scrubby valley. At 3.5,
having ascended the hills to the south of the valley, observed a
remarkable sandstone hill which I passed on a previous excursion from Mr.
Lefroy's station at Welbing. Altering the course to 170 degrees magnetic,
we passed the hill; at 5.45 halted in a fine grassy flat on the banks of
a small brook-course trending west, in which we found abundance of water
in small pools. As we were only forty miles west of Mr. Lefroy's station
at Welbing, and the country in that direction already examined, I
instructed Mr. C.F. Gregory to proceed with the party and pack-horses to
Welbing and thence by the road to Perth, while, accompanied by Mr.
Bedart, I pursued a more direct but less eligible course for pack-horses.