Part 46 (2/2)

entered a dense scrub of small crooked eucalypti and acacia, with a few sterculia After losing an hour in atte to penetrate the scrub, we turned north to the dry creek and followed it down till 70 pht was so dark that the horses could not be watered with safety, the banks being very steep and rendered slippery by a slight shower

25th October

The grass having been burnt near the camp, the horses had strayed considerably, and we did not start till 730 a east, we soon came on the Burdekin, which now trended to the south-south-west and south-east; the basalt co close to the river, ere coe and cahty yards wide and half a ; it terminated in a dry stony channel which joined a sandy creek, and entered the river Crossing a granite ridge, we carassy flat on the bank of the Burdekin, the banks being high and steep, but the water easy of access

Latitude by a Pegasi 19 degrees 58 minutes 48 seconds

26th October (Sunday)

Re the day there was a succession of shoithout thunder, the clouds and wind froht continued cloudy

GOOD GRassY COUNTRY

27th October

The ht rain till 70 arassy ridges of granite and trap formation, timbered with ironbark, box, Moreton-Bay ash, and bloodwood; the river taking a sweep to the north of the track, but at 1040 caain on its banks The course was now south till 215 pe stream-bed from the south-west, with a sandy and rocky bed forty yards wide, which contained a few shallow pools of water Below the junction of this tributary the river turned to the east and east-north-east, and we crossed low ridges of granite porphyry and trap, which cah land to the bank of the river; at 330 encarassed, except about a mile of bauhinia scrub, which did not appear of any considerable extent Ironbark, box, bloodwood, and Moreton-Bay ash formed the principal trees hich the country was openly tiranite, traversed by numerous veins of dark trap, and in the latter part of the day porphyry and schist appeared; concretions of limestone were frequent near the trap veins The soil was soritty loam, except on the trap-rocks, where it was rich black soil

The available country here appears her up the river; more rain has fallen in the early part of the season, and the grass is rich and green, especially where it had been previously burnt off

Latitude by a Pegasi 20 degrees 7 rees 20 minutes east

28th October

We resu an east-south-east course, but after crossing soes, entered a dense scrub of acacia, sterculia, bauhinia, and thorny shrubs Turning north, with some difficulty extricated the party fro the bank of the river till 910, when the scrub receded, and fine openly-ties ell-grassed, the rocks granite, trap, and porphyry

The country generally appeared well suited for stock; on both sides of the river no high ranges were visible At 245 p been burnt, was now covered with excellent green grass The day was cool, with light showers frorained, and intersected by veins and masses of trap, and in the latter part of the day's journey porphyry was superincurained, and contained worn boulders of trap, quartz, granite, slate, and hard sandstone

29th October

As the river below turned to the east of its general course, at 620 am

steered east-south-east and south-east till 930, e again ca south The country consisted of openly-tiood with that passed during the last two days The river at 100 turned to the south-east, along the foot of soranite, and at 1145 was joined by a dry creek twenty yards wide, co from the south-west; our course was now east-south-east, passing with difficulty between the river and a steep granite hill, beyond which the country becaentle slopes scantily grassed, and tiuullies intersected the ground, cutting deeply into the granite rock beneath the soil, and rendering it difficult to traverse A fine range of openly-wooded and grassy hills rose about two to threean elevation of 500 to 800 feet above the valley; these hills are probably porphyritic; they are the Porter Range of Leichhardt At 245 pm camped on the bank of the Burdekin River

THE SUTTOR RIVER MOUNT MCCONNELL

30th October

At 630 arees east, but at 70 aradually becaed, and rocky hills closed in on both banks forh which the river forced its way By keeping at the back of so at noon a high ridge, from which the view extended to the junction of the Burdekin and Suttor Rivers, Mount McConnell bearing 159 degrees netic A long range seee, and bound the valley of the Upper Burdekin, while a high range appeared to trend north-east from the eastern side of the Suttor Valley, and to turn the Burdekin to the north of east Continuing our route nearly south-east over steep rocky ridges, we encarassy flat, a quarter of a mile fro north 172 degrees eastin our rear, and soon after caht, but would not allow any of the party to approach the up quickly, sons to them that it was desirable that they should pursue an opposite route to ours, we left them to descend at leisure The country passed this day was of a broken character, with deep gullies and rocky hills near the river, but was generally well grassed and openly timbered with ironbark and Moreton-Bay ash Granite rock forms the base of the hills, and was covered byhills with rocky summits of columnar structure, as at the head of the Gilbert River a dark-coloured trap changing into porphyry forely developed on the bank of the Suttor Thin veins of calcareous spar and quartz intersected the granite The bed of the Burdekin where we last saw it, one mile above the junction of the Suttor, was about half afrom twenty yards wide to the whole breadth of the channel, which was very level and sandy The Suttor is but a small river compared with the Burdekin Near the camp it forreat depth The trees on its banks were much broken and bent by a violent flood which had occurred within the year Considering the nu the banks of the Burdekin, few impediments have been encountered, while the extent of country suited for squatting purposes is very considerable--water forhout the whole distance

Latitude by a Gruis and a Pegasi 20 degrees 36 rees east

THE FIRST BRIGALOW SCRUB

31st October

A rainy night was followed by a thick fog in the , so that e started at 630 aullies on the banks of the Suttor were avoided; steering south-west for one hour, crossed to the right bank of the Suttor, and then by an average south course passed to the west of Mount McConnell, which, by its isolated character and height (about 600 feet above the river) forms a very conspicuous landrass on the slopes, with cliffs of porphyry near the upper part, this being the prevailing rock; on the right bank white shaly rocks and dark trap, with veins of calcareous spar and limestone, prevailed on the left bank of the Suttor; the country on both sides well grassed and openly tiular and sandy, with small shallow pools of water at intervals; at 110 the river ca a south course we crossed sorass and separated by open box forest; at noon crossed a sandstone hill, the base of which was porphyry; traversing ironbark ridges for an hour, we crossed a sandy creek coalow scrub; through this scrub we steered south-west till 340, and carassy flat; water was obtained fro a shower on the previous night The country till we reached the brigalow scrub ell adapted for pastoral purposes; the rock trap, slate, and porphyry, with veins of lirows on the detritus of a coarse congloer boulders of which lay scattered over the surface of the ground; these boulders consist of trap, porphyry, sandstone, and quartz, and show e of hills, apparently sandstone, bounds the valley to the east froreat elevation, and we did not obtain a good view of therees 52 minutes 25 seconds