28^ '■ EXPEDITION FROM MORETON BAY [Nov. 8, 1858. 



soil of the intervening plain was much firmer, but showed by 

 the vegetation that saline nature which so often attends the develop- 

 ment of the upper sandstones in Australia. Grass was abundant, 

 and it was surprising with what rapidity the horses recovered their 

 strength. 



12th June. — Approaching the 141st meridian, which is the boundary 

 of the province of South Australia, stony ridges closed in on both 

 banks of Cooper Creek, forming almost a natural division, across 

 which we followed a well-beaten native path ; and here I observed 

 the only instance which has come under my observation where the 

 aborigines have taken the trouble to remove natural obstacles from 

 their paths. The loose stones had been cleared from the track, and 

 in some places piled in large heaps. 



14^A Jane. — After passing the stony ridge the valley became wider, 

 the hills receding suddenly, in longitude 140^ 30', both to the north 

 and south ; and the whole country to the west seemed to consist of 

 a succession of low ridges of red sand and level plains of dry mud, 

 subject to inundation. 



Shortly before reaching the branch of Cooper Creek, named by 

 Captain Sturt "Strzelecki" Creek, we observed the tracks of two 

 horses, one apparently a carthorse and the other a well-bred animal ; 

 but as none of their tracks were within the last month, the rain had 

 obliterated them to such an extent that they could not be traced up, 

 as they had left the bank of the creek on the first fall of rain, as is 

 the usual habit of horses whose wanderings are uncontrolled. 



There can be little doubt that these horses belonged to Captain 

 Sturt, who left one in an exhausted state near this locality, and also 

 lost a second horse, whose tracks were followed many miles in the 

 direction of this part of Cooper Creek. 



" Strzelecki Creek," which separates nearly at a right angle from 

 the main channel, appears to convey about one-third of the waters of 

 Cooper Creek nearly south, and, as we afterwards ascertained, con- 

 nects it with Lake Torrens. We, however, continued to follow the 

 channels which trended west for 30 miles, but large branches con- 

 tinually broke off to the south and west, and at length (16^A June) 

 the whole was lost on the wide plains of dry mud between the sand 

 ridges ; and, as there was no prospect of either water or grass to the 

 west, I steered south and south-east for 50 miles over a succession 

 of ridges of red drift sand, 10 to 50 feet high, running parallel to 

 each other, and in a nearly north and south direction. Between 

 these ridges we occasionally found shallow puddles of rain-water, or 

 rather mud, as it was so thick with clay as to be scarcely fluid. 

 Fortunately, a great quantity of green weeds had grown up since 



