Part 33 (1/2)

As the course of the creek was uncertain, we steered south at 545 am

across the atriplex plain, and at 635 reached the ordinary right bank of the creek, which was low and gravelly, covered with triodia and surassy plain which had been favoured by a passing shower; green grass was abundant, and even some small puddles of water still remained in the hollows of the clay soil At 1050 cale channel and formed pools, some of which appeared to be permanent, as they contained small fish At one of these pools we encamped at 1110 The channel of the creek is about fifteen feet below the level of the plain, and is um trees, the atriplex flat has ceased, and the soil is a hard white clay, producing salsola and a little grass; theclear with a moderate easterly breeze, afternoon cloudy with a few drops of rain at night

Latitude by Canopus and Pollux 19 degrees 7 minutes 30 seconds

27th February

Resumed our journey down the creek at 65 am, when it turned to the west and formed a fine lake-like reach 200 yards wide, with rocky banks and sandstone ridges on both sides of the creek; at 110 caeneral character of these reaches of water is that they are very shallow and are separated by wide spans of dry channel, the water being ten feet below the running level

The country is very inferior, and the grassy flats are reduced to very narrow li but small trees and triodia

Latitude by Canopus and Pollux 19 degrees 12 minutes 20 seconds

28th February

At 60 a a creek which had an average west-south-west course, but the channel was soon lost in a wide grassy flat, with polygonue detached pools of water, 50 to 100 yards wide and a quarter to half a h the dry season had reduced theht to ten feet below the level of the plain; at 1145 cae of sandstone rocks on the right bank of the creek

Ducks, pelicans, spoonbills, etc, were very numerous, but so wild that they could scarcely be approached within range of our guns; until the present time it has been doubtful whether the creek turned towards Cae Gulf, the interior, or to the coast ard of the Fitzroy, but the first point being now 220 nautic eneral course of Sturt's Creek south-west, such a course is not probable, and it therefore only remains to determine whether it is lost in the level plains of the interior, or finds an outlet on the north-west coast The careful and minute surveys of the coast from the Victoria River to Roebuck Bay show that no rivers exist of such h the ranges to the coast, nor does the general abrupt character of the coast-line favour the supposition that any interior waters would find an outlet in this space That the elevation of this part of the creek is sufficient to enable it to form a channel to the north-west coast is shown by the baroe between the head of the Victoria and Hooker's Creek is about 1200 feet, at the head of Sturt's Creek 1,370 feet, and our present cae fall of Sturt's Creek has been 270 feet in 180 miles, or one and a half feet per mile Now the distance to Desault Bay (which appears thean increase of 500 for deviations, there would be more than two feet descent per mile, which would be sufficient for the maintenance of a channel Should the creek turn to the south and enter the sandy desert country, the water would soon be absorbed, especially as the wet season at the upper part of the creek occurs when the dry season is prevailing in the lower part of its course That it does lose itself in a barren sandy country is, I fear, the most probable termination of the creek, and that a level country exists for many miles on each side of our route is shown by the small number and size of the tributary watercourses

Latitude by Canopus, Castor and Pollux 19 degrees 18the camp at 540 am, traced the creek to the south-west for about three miles It formed fine reaches of water fifty to 100 yards wide; but the channel teronue shallow pools of water; at 730 the creek turned to the west round the north end of a rocky sandstone hill, and was joined by a tributary gully from the north, belohich point the channel was a well-defined sandy bed, with long parallel waterholes on each side, but very little water reed to south by west, and passed through a level flat tiurassed, but completely dried up for want of rain

The back country was thinly wooded hite-gu sandstone hills about 100 feet high of extremely barren appearance; at 1145 camped at a s breeze froed to the south Therrees in the coolest shade that could be found

Latitude by Canopus and e Argus 19 degrees 28 minutes 5 seconds

DESERT OF RED SAND

1st March

Our horses having strayed farther than usual in search of better grass, ere delayed till 620 am, e steered a south by west course down the valley of the creek Immediately below the caed to a nearly level plain of red sand, producing nothing but triodia and stunted bushes The level of this desert country was only broken by low ridges of drifted sand They were parallel and perfectly straight, with a direction nearly east and west

At 1150 camped at a fine pool of water three to five feet deep and twenty yards wide That we had actually entered the desert was apparent, and the increase of te the past three days was easily explained; but whether this desert is part of that visited by Captain Sturt, or an isolated patch, has yet to be ascertained, and the only hope is that the creek will enable us to continue our course, as the nature of the country renders an advance quite i watercourses

Latitude by Canopus, Castor and Pollux 19 degrees 40 minutes 45 seconds

2nd March

Left our camp at 630 am, and steered south-west by west, which soon took us into the sandy desert on the left bank of the creek Crossing one of the sand ridges, got a sight of a range of low sandstone hills to the south-east, the highest of which I named Mount Mueller, as the doctor had seen the plants on one of the sandy ridges near the caain made the creek, which had scarcely any channel tomarks of former inundations was the only indication visible At 1235 prass very scanty and dry Traces of natives are frequent Large flights of pigeons feed on the plains on the seeds of grass A flock of cockatoos was also seen

Latitude by Canopus and Pollux 19 degrees 51 seconds 12 minutes

3rd March

At 530 aeneral course south-west There was a very irregular channel so into pools fifty yards wide The sandy plain encroached rassy flats, and reduced the winter course of the creek to half a ed to south, and at 1015 camped at a swarass The country differed in character froum trees and patches of tall acacia Salsola and salicornia are also very abundant, and show the saline nature of the soil

Latitude by Canopus and Pollux 20 degrees 2 minutes 10 seconds

SALT LAKES