THE INTERIOR OP WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 245 



sandstone cliffs, washed by the waters of the estuary. Leaving Bob in 

 charge of our horses, we scrambled and climbed about, examining all 

 we could find accc^ible ; but when the sun disappeared behind the op- 

 posite hills, the main headland was still three-quarters of a mile distant 

 to the southward, and it would have been quite dark before we could 

 reach it, across the thick scrub which crowned its summit. The mouth 

 of the estuary being also observed to be about two miles distant in the 

 S.E., and the flat summit of Middle Mount Barren, bearing N. 67"^ E., 

 at the distance of three miles, we remounted, and reached our camp 

 soon after eight o'clock. 



Next morning (Dec. 29), with the same party, the examination of 

 the estuary was resumed, by passing round its opposite shore. Cross- 

 ing the river half a mile S. by W, from our camp, it there occupied a 

 straggling samphii'e-bed, nearly dry, and took a wide sweep round the 

 margin of a rich flat of good kangaroo, spear, and other grasses. At 

 the far side of this flat, a tributary joined from the westward, out of a 

 steep, clifiy valley, and the river itself became full between its banks, 



winding with rather a tortuous course to the S.E. Sandstone cliffs, 60 

 or 70 feet high, rose from its southern shore. In some places these 

 cliffs and the mass of rubbish at their base, approach so near the deep, 

 open river, that we had scarcely room to pass, and could not avail our- 

 selves of any occasional shallows in the river's bed, on account of the 

 softness of the light blue clay which composed it. Hereabouts the 

 dark red sandstone again made its appearance beneath those of lighter 

 colour, but none of them had as yet any decided dip. As we descended, 

 the river increased its open width to 100 yards, opposite to the mouth 

 of a lake in connection with its left bank, the whole of which shore is 

 for several miles very low, sedgy, and at times under water. The depth 

 is here however m\ich diminished ; both banks and bed are of clay and 

 ironstone, with many sharp masses of the latter showing themselves 

 above water, where the broad wide mouth of the river joins the estuary. 

 Bemarkinw a long, low island, which divides that mouth into two chan- 

 ■ nels, we passed out on to the shore of the estuary, and found both the 

 latter and the steep banks which rise up from it extremely rugged and 

 thick. Low cliffs of red and white sandstone abutted on the shore, 

 and the intervening spaces were covered thickly with a lining of 

 stunted Tca-trces and salt-water buslies, obliging us to wade into the 

 treacherous estuary in order to pass them. Round the south side of 



