Part 41 (1/2)

Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 16 degrees 7abundance of good grass at this camp, we remained this day to shoe some of the horses and repair harness, etc, and rest the horses; nor was I sorry to get a day of comparative rest, as I had been in the saddle every day since leaving the Victoria on the 21st June Eleven of the horses were re-shod

A SPRING OF GOOD WATER

31st July

Leaving the ca the grassy flats of the creek and entering a entle slope; the country was now sandy with revillia, and bossiaca, with triodia in the ulomerate, and hard white sandstone sometimes appeared; after 100 the country declined to the south, and we passed through a belt of cypress scrub; at 115 ph sandstone ridge and came on a deep valley with sandstone cliffs on each side; with some difficulty descended the rocks and reached a s soreen trees about a mile to the north-west at the foot of the rocks, turned towards the fro a suitable spot, enca were several huts constructed in the rudest ether From the summit of the hill the view extended thirty miles to the north-east, but no htly The country too beca easier, but no other iuli Australis 16 degrees 17 ust

At 730 am left the camp and followed the valley to the south till 915, when a break in the sandstone cliffs which bounded the valley enabled us to ascend the hills and pursue our course to the south-east, crossing several ridges of sandstone, the strata dipping to the west, and beco into a valley with a dry creek fifteen yards wide, the rocks on the south-east slope cherty li with thin beds of shale, the strata dipping 20 degrees to 30 degrees west The suloh which masses of white sandstone protruded

This lirassed, and thinly tirowth; at 120 pully in search of water; but though it gradually enlarged to a considerable creek and we continued our search till 70, ere compelled to encamp without water I then walked down the creek two , a few pints of water were obtained

2nd August

At 65 a the creek north-east for two hours reached a small muddy pool of rainwater, at which we encamped The country near the creek was very level, and thinly-wooded low hills were visible in the distance to the south-east and north

Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 16 degrees 16 ust

The water at this pool near our ca, we proceeded down the creek in search of a better supply; but it was not until we had followed its dry sandy bed for three hours that we attained our object, and encamped at a small pool in one of the back channels, the principal bed of the creek being perfectly dry The country near the creek continues very level, and well grassed, but distant rocky hills are visible in al the Gulf of Carpentaria heavy dews and fogs have becos, when it is usually calm About 100 a from north to south-east; at sunset it falls calain at 80 pm and blows moderately from the eastward for one or two hours; very thin misty clouds are frequent, and render the heat oppressive when they prevail

According to , we are now only fifty miles from the sea-coast, and therefore much nearer Dr Leichhardt's track than I could wish to traverse the country; but, however desirable a ht be, it is evident, from the small size of the watercourses hitherto crossed, that we have been skirting a tableland which is doubtless a continuation of the desert into which we followed Sturt's Creek, and the small altitude of the country in which the watercourses trending towards the Gulf take their rise precludes the existence of any considerable drainage towards the interior

Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 16 degrees 14 ust

The general course of the creek being northerly, and our distance from the McArthur about 20 miles on the chart, steered south-east froes and hills, the strata of which dipped 20 degrees to 40 degrees to the west At noon froes saw the valley of the McArthur River to the south-east; continuing our course, descended a se creek with a belt of casuarina,its banks The channel was dry and sandy, about twenty yards wide, but showed thethe 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 froeneral lay of the country, it was evident that ere 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 srowth, seldoh; a few leguminous ironbark, and sterculia were scattered on the hills, with hest ridge at 110 aenerally 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 ust

The country to the south-east being very rocky and broken, we followed down the river, leaving the caeneral course north-east; the sandstone hills rose abruptly fro frequently worn away in a partial manner, so as to leave isolated coluh; a few miles below the carass near them, and we continued our route for four hours, and carass on the bank of the river; the principal channel of the river was only twenty-three yards wide, but in tireater portion of the water, which rises nearly forty feet; considerable quantities ofthe bank of the river

Latitude by rees 18 rees 21 ust

At 725 am resumed our journey on a south-east course, over a revillia, and triodia; at 110 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 ere glad to ee into an open valley, in which we camped at 230 pm; 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 setation; the rock is gray sandstone in horizontal beds with cleavage laeneral 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 larain very even and rees 24 ust