3rd February.
At 6.0 a.m. ascended the trap plain and steered north 190 degrees east;
at 6.45 a.m. came to a large creek from the west, which joined the
Victoria three-quarters of a mile to the east; but the deep and rocky
character of the valley, or rather ravine, in which it ran precluded our
approaching it, and we had to turn to the west, and descend from the
basalt to the sandstone before the creek could be passed. Continuing an
average south course, at 10.10 a.m. came to the Victoria River; the whole
channel did not exceed 150 yards in breadth, of which only twenty to
fifty were now occupied by water, and the rest by dry rocks and gravel,
overgrown by bushes. With great difficulty we followed the river upwards,
and were compelled to follow up a tributary creek for about a mile, and
then encamped. Near this camp I saw the crested pigeon of Western
Australia for the first time in this part of Australia.
Latitude by Leonis 17 degrees 41 minutes.
4th February.
Left the camp at 5.55 a.m. and steered nearly south for six hours, and
then encamped on the bank of the Victoria River, at the end of a fine
deep pool seventy yards wide, but at the lower end the water was
contracted into a shallow rapid ten yards wide. The country traversed is
of basaltic formation in the valley, but the hills are of sandstone, and
rise on each side from 200 to 300 feet, and the whole appearance of the
country shows that there has been little change in the form of the
surface since the basalt was poured into the valley. On the banks of a
small creek we saw a flock of tribonyx--a bird which has created some
speculation as to its proper habitat, as it often makes its appearance in
large numbers at the Swan River, on the western coast.
Latitude by Canopus 17 degrees 52 minutes 19 seconds.