_ west a wide view over basaltic plains and open downs, ares : 
| eastward, winding in their lower course through an imm 
sea An open forest covers the whole district, with 
344 DR. LEICHARDT'S OVERLAND JOURNEY 
often clustered round stately bottle-trees (Sterculia sp.) the 
shady retreat of numerous kangaroos and wallabies. These 
Downs were covered with various grasses and herbs, but the 
vervain, a wiry plant, prevailed to such a degree on many of 
them, that Dr. Leichardt called them Vervain Plains. 
Though the banks of the Mackenzie, so far as it was tra- 
velled along partook of the scrubby character of the country, 
there is reason to believe that the scrub ceased a little lower 
down, and its large supply of water makes it probable that it 
forms a considerable stream towards the sea coast. It dis- 
embogues very possibly at Broad Sound, in lat. 21° 30 S. 
as the natives pointed to the north-east, when asked about 
the course of the river. The country south-east of Expe- 
dition Range between Zamia Creek and Erythrina Creek, 
was, for a great distance to the eastward, flat, and openly 
timbered ; it was well grassed and tolerably well provided 
with water at the foot of the range. Its latitude was 24° 50^, 
but the course of its waters seemed to be directed either to 
Port Curtis or to Keppel Bay. Should a practicable com- — 
munication with the sea coast be found, there is little doubt 
that this will beeome a valuable district for pastoral pur- 
poses. | Pon | dels 
II. The Plains of Peak Range, with the Isaacks, and (e 
Upper Suttor rivers; between 239—909 50/ S. latitude. oe 
bears a character very different from that of the first section- — — 
Here a long range of noble peaks, composed of domite, € — 
tends far to the W.N.W., and offers to the west and south- Aes 
_ alternate with low and openly timbered ridges. To the 
lating outlines, narrow plains, and abrupt sandstone BRE 
form numerous valleys, along which creeks descend to the — 
north-west, and forms the chief outlet of the waters to the 
Tm exception of some narrow belts of scrub. along the 1: 
