22nd September.
Leaving our camp at 7.25 a.m., steered north 120 degrees east across the
plains on the left bank of the river, and at 1.30 p.m. camped at a small
pool in the sandy bed of the Gilbert, which is broad, sandy, and retains
very little water. Fragments of porphyry, quartz, and black slate are
abundant in the drift, and mica, iserine, and minute garnets exist.
Latitude by a Aquilae 17 degrees 25 minutes 50 seconds.
23rd September.
At 7.5 a.m. continued our journey up the river's left bank, the average
course south-east by east; at 2.50 p.m., camped at a small pool in the
bed of the river; the principal channel is 200 yards wide, and the
smaller ones occupy a breadth of half a mile; the banks are low, and the
country quite level, thinly wooded with box-trees; the grass good, but
not thick; water very scarce, except by digging in the sand of the river.
Latitude by a Cygni 17 degrees 36 minutes; variation of compass 5 degrees
east.
24th September.
At 7.0 a.m. steered south-east, and at 8.0 crossed to the right bank of
the river, the channel 300 yards wide, with banks fifteen feet high,
beyond which the ground gradually declined, so that when the river
overflows a great extent of country must be inundated. Continuing our
course, the river turned more to the south, and we passed through some
poor stunted forest of eucalypti, alternating with grassy box-flats. At
noon altered the course south-south-east, and at 12.30 p.m. camped at a
chain of small lagoons in the shade of some fine nonda-trees.
Latitude by a Aquilae 17 degrees 45 minutes 10 seconds.
25th September.
At 6.35 a.m. steered south-east through an open melaleuca scrub, the soil
sandy loam, thinly grassed; acacia, bloodwood, silver-leafed ironbark,
and grevillia forming open patches of wood at intervals. At noon turned
south, and at 1.35 p.m. camped at a small lagoon nearly dry and half a
mile from the bank of the river; a few hills rose close to the south-west
of the river opposite our camp, the lower ridges grassy, the higher hills
wooded, but not exceeding 500 feet above the plain. The bed of the river
is broad, dry, and sandy, and the box-flats much reduced in width, seldom
exceeding a mile. At 5.0 p.m. there was a heavy squall with rain and
lightning, followed by a cloudy night and moderate breeze from the south.
26th September.
At 6.45 a.m. resumed our route, and, following up the right bank of the
river in a south-east direction till 2.0 p.m., when we camped in the
sandy bed of the river, procuring water from a small hole in the sand.
The country on the banks of the river consisted of box flats, some parts
well grassed, but usually very poor; this extended about half a mile, and
then changed gradually to a poor country with little grass and small
eucalypti and melaleuca, the soil gravel and sand. The bed of the river
continues to be about 300 yards wide, dry, and sandy; a line of
melaleuca, morinda, flooded-gum and fig trees, grow along it and mark its
course.
Latitude by a Aquilae 18 degrees 10 minutes 10 seconds; variation of
compass 5 degrees 20 minutes east.
27th September.
Steered an average south-east course up the river from 6.40 a.m. till 1.0
p.m., when we camped at some pools of water in a side channel of the
river, where it was divided by a hillock of slate-rock. The country is
inferior in quality, the flats narrowing to an average of half a mile
with very dry and thinly scattered tufts of grass. The bed of the river
is better defined, and formed at times a single channel 250 yards wide,
dry and sandy, as water was only once seen during the day. Low rocky
ridges of sandstone gradually approached its banks, and near the camp
porphyry, slate, and coarse granite formed detached hills 50 to 100 feet
high, seeming to indicate an approach to the ranges in which the stream
takes its rise.
Latitude by a Cygni 18 degrees 15 minutes 21 seconds.