16th July.
At 7.5 a.m. recommenced our journey, following down the Roper River east
and north-east; about a mile below the camp the limestone rocks formed a
bar, over which the river ran with a rapid current ten yards wide and two
feet deep; the banks became lower and the surface of the country
extremely level. The overflows of the river had formed shallow lagoons,
in which the nelumbium or gigantic water-lily was first seen. A ridge of
low sandstone hills came close to the left bank, and on the right a vast
level plain, covered with high grass and reeds, extending two or three
miles back. This plain is evidently inundated during the wet season,
though the soil was now dry and full of deep cracks. The river divided
into several small shallow channels full of reeds, and each with a small
stream of water, the deep green of the vegetation along the course of the
running water contrasting strongly with the parched vegetation of the
other portions of the plain. Clumps of melaleuca occurred at intervals,
and at a distance appeared like low hills. At 2.0 p.m. camped at the end
of a low basaltic ridge, which approached the bank of the river from the
south. A range of flat-topped hills extended to the north-east from the
river, about eight miles distant, to the north-west of the camp; they
appeared wooded, and 200 to 300 feet high. Bowman rode down a young emu,
which supplied us with a meal of fresh meat.
Latitude by a Coronae Borealis 14 degrees 50 minutes 56 seconds.
17th July.
At 7.0 a.m. steered east-south-east, following the bank of the river for
a mile, when, to avoid the high grass and reeds, altered the course to
south-east till 8.10; then steering 100 degrees magnetic till 9.25, when
we camped on a small waterhole, there being abundance of water. The river
appears to turn to the north and enter a range of hills, which trends
north and south a few miles to the east of our camp. The country
traversed this day is all well grassed and thinly timbered with
terminalia, box, and silver-leafed ironbark; trap-rock visible in several
places, and the soil was a good red loam. The metallic barometer has a
second time suddenly deviated from the aneroid barometer, and the form of
the vacuum vessel has visibly altered, the construction being too slight
to bear the motion of the pack-horse, though one of the steadiest animals
had been selected to carry the instruments, and they are always
surrounded with blankets.
Latitude by meridian altitude of the sun 14 degrees 53 minutes 16
seconds.
18th July.
As this was a suitable camp for resting the party, and grass was
abundant, I rode to the south-east with Mr. H. Gregory to look for a
route towards the head of the Wickham River; our course was along a
valley between the trap hills to the west and a sandstone range to the
east. About eight miles reached a creek trending north-east; its channel
was dry and sandy, but after some search found a small pool of water in a
side channel; casuarina and flooded-gum trees grew on the banks of the
creek, and there was some good grass on the flats, which were limited by
sandstone hills densely wooded with acacia of the same species as that
seen on the lower part of Sturt's Creek. After an hour's halt at the pool
of water we returned to camp.