4th August.
The general course of the creek being northerly, and our distance from
the McArthur about 20 miles on the chart, steered south-east from 6.35
a.m., crossing many rocky sandstone ridges and hills, the strata of which
dipped 20 degrees to 40 degrees to the west. At noon from one of the
higher ridges saw the valley of the McArthur River to the south-east;
continuing our course, descended a small dry watercourse till 4.0 p.m.,
when we reached a large creek with a belt of casuarina, melaleuca and
eucalypti along its banks. The channel was dry and sandy, about twenty
yards wide, but showed the marks of high floods. Following the creek down
for three-quarters of an hour found a small pool just sufficient for the
supply of the party. Just below our camp a creek fifteen yards wide
joined the principal one from the south, and, from the general lay of the
country, it was evident that we were now on the McArthur River of
Leichhardt; but though from the steepness of the banks the floods
frequently rise thirty to forty feet, the creek did not bear the
character of one which would take its rise at any great distance inland
of our track. The country passed over was very thinly wooded with
eucalypti of small growth, seldom more than one and a half feet in
diameter and fifty feet high; a few leguminous ironbark, and sterculia
were scattered on the hills, with much triodia and little grass. After
crossing the highest ridge at 11.0 a.m. the sandstone strata were
variously inclined, but generally to the west or north-east at high
angles, except on the immediate bank of the McArthur, where the
sandstones were horizontal. To the south-west of our route the country
rose into stony hills of very barren aspect, but to the north the country
appeared to be wooded.
Latitude by Vega 16 degrees 25 minutes 11 seconds.
5th August.
The country to the south-east being very rocky and broken, we followed
down the river, leaving the camp at 7.20 a.m., the general course
north-east; the sandstone hills rose abruptly from the bank of the river,
the sandstone rock being frequently worn away in a partial manner, so as
to leave isolated columns sometimes three feet in diameter and thirty
feet high; a few miles below the camp a few pools of water were seen, but
there was no grass near them, and we continued our route for four hours,
and camped at a shallow pool with a small patch of grass on the bank of
the river; the principal channel of the river was only twenty-three yards
wide, but in times of flood the side channels carry off the greater
portion of the water, which rises nearly forty feet; considerable
quantities of mussel-shells lay at the old camps of the blacks along the
bank of the river.
Latitude by meridian altitude of the sun 16 degrees 18 minutes 41
seconds; longitude by lunar distances 136 degrees 21 minutes.
6th August.
At 7.25 a.m. resumed our journey on a south-east course, over a miserable
sandy country, with stunted eucalypti, grevillia, and triodia; at 11.0
reached a range of broken sandstone hills, which, with great difficulty
and risk to the horses, we crossed in an east-south-east direction; but
though the direct distance was only three miles, the deep ravines and
rocks delayed us for three hours, and we were glad to emerge into an open
valley, in which we camped at 2.30 p.m.; in the deep ravines of the
sandstone hills water was abundant, but inaccessible for our horses, from
the steep and rocky character of the country; a few small white-gum trees
and triodia formed almost the entire vegetation; the rock is gray
sandstone in horizontal beds with cleavage lamina, which varied so much
in angle and direction that no general direction could be assigned, the
cleavage of the upper beds often being the reverse of those immediately
below them; the beds were from one to four feet thick, and the lamina
half an inch to two inches, the grain very even and moderately fine.
Latitude by Vega 16 degrees 24 minutes 20 seconds.
7th August.
Resumed our journey at 7.10 a.m. on an average east-south-east course,
along the foot of a rocky range of sandstone hills; at 8.30 came on a
deep rocky creek, with long pools of water trending to the north; as our
horses required rest, and the country ahead appeared very barren and
rocky, we encamped.
8th August.
Steering a south-east course from 6.50 a.m., crossed a sandy tableland,
with paper-bark and melaleuca with broad leaves; passed a small creek
with pools trending north-east, and at 10.0 a low rocky ridge; then
descended into a wide valley, with melaleuca and a few box-trees. At 1.25
camped on a large sandy creek with two channels ten yards wide, with low
sandy banks; one channel was dry, but the other had a few small pools in
it; a line of melaleuca and flooded-gum trees marked its course along the
valley. When in flood the waters of the creek are 100 yards wide and ten
to fifteen feet deep. The grass was inferior, but from having been burnt
had grown up fresh and green.
Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 16 degrees 34 minutes 44 seconds.