March 13. Camp 24, situated on the left bank of a broad shallow watercourse named by me O'Connell Creek.
Started this morning at 7.35. When we had ridden up the creek about four miles we found the tracks of the beast that Mr. Bourne tracked south-easterly from the 23rd camp. After coming backwards and forwards for some time we crossed O'Connell Creek, then came about three and a half miles to the left bank of the Flinders River and abandoned the tracks of the beast as they were going down the river. We followed up the river for about four and a half miles. The first part of that distance it was confined by stony ridges, wooded with acacias and other trees; in the second part were large box flats with unwooded rising ground behind. From our path along the rising ground we observed in the distance a number of blacks near the river; and also observed, ahead of us to the eastward, a long blue range which I found afterwards confined the river on its right side. I named it Bramston Range. Afterwards we came over well-grassed country of a similar character to that I have described last for about five and three-quarter miles and encamped. All the country we have seen today is well grassed with the exception of a few plains overrun with roley-poley. I may remark also that birds, chiefly consisting of pigeons, cockatoos, quail, and hawks, were seen in great abundance. Today we travelled in the following courses: 7.35 south-south-east for four miles up O'Connell's Creek; 1.35 north and by east for three and a half miles to the river, east-south-east four and a quarter miles up the river; 3.30 east half north for five and three-quarter miles; 3.50 north-east one mile. Distance today eighteen and a half miles.
March 14. Camp 25 situated on the left bank of a western channel of the Flinders River.
We started this morning at 7.37. When we had come seven miles over rich well-grassed downs we observed a great number of blacks on a level flat which extended to the southward. Mr. Bourne and I approached them and they all ran away except some gins and children who hid themselves in a waterhole. We remained near them for a short time and were joined by Jemmy and Jackey. The gins and children soon abandoned their hiding-place and assembled on the bank, where they had their coolamons filled with rats. The old gins repeatedly offered the wives of the men who had run away to us. Amongst the females whom I observed was a girl about ten years old with a large bone stuck through the cartilage of her nose. We declined the offer, although I daresay Jackey would have liked to have taken one of the ratcatchers with him: but Jemmy said he would not, as he does not approve of wedded life. He has seen it, I presume, under disadvantageous circumstances. The young gins had fine eyes, white teeth, and good expression. The children looked particularly lively and intelligent. Jemmy understood a few words of their language but not sufficient to get information from them. Their word for water, cammo, I caught while we were getting them to fill our pint pots with water. After bidding them farewell Mr. Bourne and Jackey proceeded after the packhorses and Jemmy and I went up the flat to a place about three and a half miles south of Bramston Range and, having halted, I made the meridian altitude of the sun 71 degrees 45 minutes; latitude 20 degrees 29 minutes 16 seconds. Started after the main party at 12.20. We soon found them as they had been obliged to stop to repair a saddle. Having started again we came one and a quarter miles over rich downs very much overrun with roley-poley. As we had been getting too far away from the river we steered towards it, and having reached water in two and a half miles we encamped. The country we passed over last consists of well-grassed downs. In the water we got plenty of mussels which made an agreeable addition to our rations. Distance today seventeen and a half miles by the following courses: 11.50 east-south-east seven miles; 12 south one and a half miles; 1.16 east-north-east one and a half miles; 2.40 east-south-east four and a quarter miles; 3.30 east-north-east two and a half miles; 3.45 north-east and by east three-quarters of a mile.
March 15. Camp 26 situated near a creek named by me Sloane Creek, at a point about three miles south-east from Bramston Range.
Started this morning at 8.15. Having come one mile and a half we reached a small hill bearing 2 degrees 84 minutes from the south-west end of Bramston Range and 50 minutes from table ranges up the river. On this hill Jemmy and I stopped for some time and then proceeded after the main party. Following their track led us over rich, high, unwooded downs for five and three-quarter miles to a creek with a shallow broad channel. This stream evidently flows towards the river. I named it Walker Creek. After crossing Walker Creek we came over high downs for about twelve miles, and having found water we encamped. Towards the river the country is wooded with a kind of myall, but not the drooping acacia. Amongst it the horses have gone to feed in preference to the open country. The ground on this side of Walker's Creek is composed of a reddish soil with occasionally detached pieces of basalt. It is covered with the best grasses, the highest portions thinly wooded with small trees, amongst which I observed white-wood, myall, and Port Curtis sandalwood. The Port Curtis sandalwood has been exported, but as far as I have been able to learn was not a profitable article. However it is first-rate for firewood, giving a better light than other woods, and the perfume it emits is disliked by mosquitoes. From our path today we observed that the right side of the river was confined by wooded ranges extending without prominent features from Bramston Range to table ranges near here. We travelled on the following courses: 8.50 east and by north one and a half miles to a little hill; 10.15 north-east and by east for three miles; 11.10 east-north-east two and three-quarter miles to Walker Creek; 3.10 north-east twelve miles to encampment. Distance today seventeen and three-quarter miles.
March 16.
Today Fisherman and I left the party in camp to ascend the lowest down of the three table ranges on the right bank of the Flinders River. We reached the left bank of the river in a north-north-east direction in about two miles and a half. The river has a sandy level bed which is about eighty yards wide. After crossing the river Fisherman marked a gumtree growing at the bottom of the bank E broad arrow over L. From the river we reached the base of the range in rather less than a mile. I expected to find it of a sandstone formation with triodia on its surface, but on ascending the range I found that, although it had a sandstone formation, it was covered with a dark perforated basalt and at other places with rich soil and good grass. From the summit I observed that the river was joined at a short distance above this range by a tributary to the south-east, and that the following hills bore in the directions named: A high distant table range which I have named after Frederick Walker, Esquire, my brother explorer, 130 degrees; a table range three-quarters of a mile distant 90 degrees; a table range about three miles distant 45 degrees; three conical hills on a range about seven miles distant respectively 44, 43 and 39 degrees; a tent-topped hill about seven miles distant 22 1/2 degrees; a hill with an irregular top about nineteen miles distant 20 degrees; Bramston Range 245 degrees; encampment 195 degrees. After descending the range we proceeded to the junction of the creek and marked trees on both sides of the river just above its junction. Between the hill and the river we found marjoram, a plant that we have been searching for since we got our last supply at the Leichhardt River, to use as a substitute for tea; and also found--what interested us much more--the old tracks of an expedition party. The tracks were very indistinct but, as Fisherman succeeded in following them for a short distance to the north-west, I suppose that they were the tracks of Walker's party when on their way from the Nogoa to the Albert River.
March 17. Camp 27, situated on the left bank of a southern outlet from the Flinders River at a point about five miles south-south-west from the table-topped ranges on the opposite side of the river.
The horses were so much scattered that almost the whole of the forenoon was spent in bringing them in. The main party left camp rather before noon. Jemmy and I stayed behind to get an observation of the sun. Started on the tracks of our party at 12.20. We came along unwooded, well-grassed land at the back of country wooded with myall for three and a half miles, then over country more overrun with roley-poley but otherwise of a similar character for two miles to the termination of the myall. Here I observed that we were about four and a half miles west from the end of a range, which I suppose confines the river on its right bank, and north-west from Frederick Walker's Table Mountain. After coming four and a half miles we reached a place where there was plenty of good water and grass with a high bank and encamped, as Gleeson was very unwell. The last distance--four and a half miles--was over unwooded downs covered with barley and other grasses. Came on the following courses: 1.30 south-east three and a half miles; east-south-east two miles. 3.40 east-south-east four and a half miles. Distance come today ten miles.