10th February.
As the horses required a day's rest, we remained at our camp, which
enabled us to repair our saddles and perform other necessary work.
Repaired the chronometer and one of the aneroid barometers, which had
been broken by the motion of one of the pack-horses. As there was no
practicable route to the south, and the sandstone hills to the north
seemed to diminish in elevation to the east, I decided on following the
northern limit of the desert to the west till some line of practicable
country was found by which to penetrate the country to the south. In
selecting a westerly route I was also influenced by the greater elevation
of the country on the western side of the Victoria, and the fact that all
the larger tributaries join from that side of the valley. It is also
probable that, should the waters of the interior not be lost in the sandy
desert, they will follow the southern limit of the elevated tract of
sandstone which occupies north-west Australia from Roebuck Bay to the
Gulf of Carpentaria, both of which points are nearly in the same latitude
as our present position, from which it may be assumed that the line of
greatest elevation is between the 17th and 18th parallels. None of the
rivers crossed by Leichhardt are of sufficient magnitude to drain the
country beyond the coast range, and therefore any streams descending from
the tableland to the south will either be absorbed in the sandy desert or
follow the southern limit of the sandstone and flow into the sea to the
south-west of Roebuck Bay. There is, however, reason to expect that, as
the interior of north-west Australia is partly within the influence of
the tropical and partly the extra-tropical climates, it does not enjoy a
regular rainy season; and though heavy rain doubtless falls at times, it
is neither sufficiently general or regular to form rivers of sufficient
magnitude to force their way through the flat sandy country to the coast.
Latitude by Capella 18 degrees 20 minutes 49 seconds.
11th February.
At 6.30 a.m. proceeded up the creek, and at 12.30 p.m. camped at a
shallow pool of rainwater on the flat, the channel of the creek being
dry. On the northern bank of the creek we passed a small lagoon with a
great number of duck and other water-fowl on it. The afternoon was
cloudy, with a fresh breeze from south-east.
Latitude by Pollux 18 degrees 15 minutes 26 seconds.
12th February.
Three of the horses having strayed some distance, we did not start till
7.0 a.m., when we steered an average course of north 300 degrees east
till 11.45 a.m., when we camped at a small pool of water in the bed of
the creek, which was reduced to a small gully; for the first four miles
we traversed the grassy flats of the creek, after which we passed over a
level sandy country producing nothing but triodia, stunted eucalypti, and
acacia till we again approached the creek, where the grassy flat was
nearly half a mile wide, but of inferior character.
Latitude by b Tauri 18 degrees 9 minutes 44 seconds.
13th February.
At 6.50 a.m. followed the valley of the creek to the west, passing some
fine flats with high grass, but the country generally very poor and
thinly wooded with white-gum and silver-leafed ironbark; at 10.40 halted
at a small waterhole at the foot of a low granite ridge; at 3.0 p.m.
ascended the granite hills, which rose abruptly 100 to 150 feet above the
plain, and extended about five miles to the south and east; to the west
the sandstone covered the granite and formed a level tableland or plain;
to the north a valley trended to the west, on the northern side of which
the hills appeared to be granitic. Returning to the camp, examined a deep
rocky ravine and found some small pools of water which might last for
nearly another month.
Latitude by Castor and Pollux 18 degrees 11 minutes 20 seconds.