this being the 120th camp since starting from the Victoria River.
18th November.
Rain commenced at 7.0 a.m. and continued till noon; at 6.25 steered east
and soon entered a dense scrub of acacia, box, sterculia, and Moreton-Bay
ash. Ascending to the level tableland by a steep sandstone slope, at
11.25 passed a gully with deep waterholes which appeared permanent, and
at 1.40 p.m. encamped at a deep creek with a small pool of water. To the
south-east of the camp about five miles distant a range of hills rose
abruptly from the level country to a height of 800 to 1000 feet. The
summits were flat and surrounded by high cliffs of red sandstone
(Expedition Range).
Latitude by Procyon 23 degrees 33 minutes 40 seconds; variation of
compass 7 degrees 50 minutes east.
19th November.
Resumed our route at 6.30 a.m.; steered east through dense scrubs with
open patches of grassy forest, the soil a light loam, very sandy in the
open forest. Small watercourses trended north; at 10.0 turned to
south-east to avoid a large scrubby hill which lay detached from the
principal range; at 11.0 again steered east, ascending a steep sandstone
hill from which the country to the north and east appeared extremely
level, we then crossed a series of ironbark ridges with scrub at
intervals, and fine flooded-gum and box flats in the valleys; casuarina
and cypress grew on some of the ridges, but the country generally was
well grassed; at 3.30 p.m. encamped at a small pool of water in a shallow
watercourse trending north-east.
Latitude by Saturn 23 degrees 37 minutes 23 seconds.
20th November.
At 7.40 a.m. steered east over open country, thinly timbered with box and
ironbark; at 10.0 crossed a dry creek, on the banks of which were recent
tracks of horses and cattle; at noon there was a heavy thunderstorm, and
at the same time entered a dense scrub of brigalow and casuarina; at 2.0
p.m. the country was more open, and at 4.10 camped near a small gully
with pools of rainwater; heavy rain during the night.
21st November.
Continued an east course; at 6.50 a.m. crossed some wooded ridges, from
which ranges of hills were imperfectly seen about twelve miles to the
east; descending the ridges, entered a brigalow scrub, and at 11.40 came
to the Dawson River, about eighty yards wide, with long shallow pools of
water, the scrub coming close to the bank on both sides, leaving a narrow
grassy flat; followed the river upwards to the southward till 2.50 p.m.,
and camped on the left bank of the river. The flats on the bank of the
river are here much wider and well grassed, and we observed the tracks of
horses.