1st June.
There was a decided improvement in the appearance of the valley as we
continued to ascend the river, the deep pools were more continuous, and
grass more abundant; the high lands on either bank still, however,
retained their rugged outlines, and were clothed with little else but
triodia. Travelling along the bed of the river was nevertheless difficult
and dangerous for the horses, on account of the immense quantity of
rounded boulders of water-worn rocks that occupied a large portion of the
channel, and frequently jammed the horses into narrow passes, where they
could not be extricated without meeting with very severe falls, which
very soon crippled more than one of them; their shoes also began to be
wrenched off by being caught in the deep clefts of the rocks, very soon
expending all the extra sets brought with us. Just before coming to our
night's halt a large stream-bed, forty yards wide, was observed to come
in from the southward. Camp 9.
Latitude 21 degrees 28 minutes 18 seconds; longitude 116 degrees 31
minutes by account.
2nd June (Sunday).
Having abundance of feed and water, we gladly availed ourselves of it to
make it a day of rest; it also afforded me an opportunity to ascertain
the rate of the chronometer, which, as I had reason to expect, had gone
very irregularly since landing.
3rd June.
Made an early start, and as the valley of the river was not quite so
rugged as that we had passed over during the last two or three days, by
noon we had accomplished about eight miles, the course of the river still
being very little from the southward of east; we had not, therefore, made
much progress towards the Lyons River (our more immediate destination),
and to quit the valley was out of the question, as there is no feed or
water out of it within a reasonable distance. Both the valley and
surrounding country are destitute of trees, and bold hills of metamorphic
sandstone frequently jut out into the valley, and terminate in
perpendicular cliffs 200 or 300 feet high. Towards the evening the river
had been coming from the northward of east. Camp 10.
Latitude 21 degrees 27 minutes 48 seconds.
4th June.
During the forenoon the river became much hemmed in by steep rocky hills,
the bed being a succession of rapids, over a bare, rocky channel; but
after the noon halt the stream came more from the south-east, with wide
grassy flats on either side, in many parts very boggy, and producing
Melaleuca leucodendron, with tall, straight stems, and a variety of
eucalyptus, resembling Eucalyptus piperita. White sandstone and shales
began to make their appearance on the banks, and the water in the river
had a saline taste. Several of the horses began to show signs of being
much distressed, by falling and sticking fast in the mud, from which they
had not strength to extricate themselves, even after being relieved of
their loads. Ducks were plentiful, and tolerably tame. Camp 11.
Latitude 21 degrees 33 minutes 55 seconds; longitude 117 degrees 2
minutes by account.