24th March to 27th March.
These arrangements being complete, the expedition left Juanda, and
proceeded by the road to Mr. Cardew's station at Euroomba, from which,
under the guidance of Mr. Bolton--whose local knowledge was of material
service--we made our way through the dense scrubs and broken country to
the west for about thirty miles, to the head of Scott's Creek, a small
tributary of the Dawson River.
29th March.
The general course was now west-north-west through a country with rich
grassy valleys and dense scrubs of brigalow acacia on the higher ground.
Green grass was abundant at this time; but I fear that in seasons of
drought few of the waterholes are permanent; the timber consists of
ironbark, box, and a few other species of eucalyptus--the brigalow acacia
attaining the height of thirty feet; soft brown sandstones of the coal
measures are the prevailing rock, forming hills with table summits.
2nd April.
With some difficulty, owing to the dense scrubs, we crossed the basaltic
ridge which divides the eastern waters flowing to the Dawson River from
those trending to the west into the basin of the Maranoa River, a
tributary of which--probably the Merivale River--was followed westward.
The country became more sandy, timbered with ironbark, cypress, etc. The
whole was, however, well grassed, and suited for grazing, if not too
heavily stocked.
5th April.
Reaching the Maranoa River in about latitude 25 degrees 45 minutes, water
was scarcely procurable in the sandy bed, and we had to dig wells to
obtain a supply.
7th April to 12th April.
Warned by the fact that Messrs. H. Gregory and Haly had been unable to
penetrate the country to the west from scarcity of water, even three
months earlier in the season, we followed up the Maranoa to Mount Owen,
and having found a sufficient supply of water and grass for a few days'
halt, I proceeded to reconnoitre the country to the west, and at length
found a practicable route to the tributaries of the Warrego River, to
which the party was advanced. A heavy shower of rain had filled the
gullies in this locality, and green grass clothed the country, forming a
striking contrast to the dry and waterless valley of the Maranoa.
15th to 16th April.
Fine openly timbered valleys, well suited for pasture, alternated with
ridges of scrub of brigalow acacia till we reached Mount Playfair, a
basaltic hill on the sandstone ridge which separates the Warrego Valley
from that of the Nive, a small branch of which was followed down to its
junction with the main channel in latitude 25 degrees 6 minutes. The soil
in the valley of the Nive is sandy, thinly grassed, and openly timbered
with ironbark spotted gum, etc.; the back country rising into low
sandstone ridges, covered with dense scrub of brigalow acacia. Some pools
of permanent water containing small fish were passed, on the bank of
which the remains of numerous native camps were seen.
17th April.
From the Nive River a north-north-west course was pursued through a
nearly level sandy country, covered with a scrub of acacia, eucalypti,
bottle-tree, etc., which offered great impediments to our progress, till
within six miles of the Victoria River, when we suddenly emerged from the
scrub on to open downs of rich clay soil; but the drought had been of
such a long continuance that the whole of the vegetation had been
destroyed and swept away by the wind, leaving the country to all
appearance an absolute desert. The bed of the Victoria was scarcely ten
yards wide, and perfectly dry, so that it was only after a prolonged
search along its course that a small puddle of water was found in a
hollow of the clay flat, and near it, fortunately for our horses, a
little grass growing in widely scattered tufts.