BY FRANK HANN. 21 



large water- holes, all of which are full of crocodiles, a harmless 

 species, about 6 to 8 feet long, which live principally on fish. 

 Travelling about twenty miles up this beautiful stream I saw» 

 about half-a-mile from it, on the left bank, a splendid small 

 lake, about three miles in circumference, nearly round, and very 

 deep. This I have christened the Gladstone Lake, after the late 

 Mr. W. E. Gladstone, Premier of England. On the lake, and on 

 the river, I found geese, ducks, water hen, and many other kinds 

 of game in abundance. 



The country about the river is rather sandy, but back from 

 the river, towards the south-west, there are splendidly grassed 

 open plains. 



The remarkable thing about Gladstone Lake is that no river 

 runs into it, nor has it any visible outlet. In all probability it 

 is fed from underground sources, and supply and evaporation 

 are probably equal. 



This is the most astonishing country for rivers, creeks, and 

 lagoons. They intersect the whole country, and would be an 

 immense boon to the more arid and rainless tracts eastward 

 towards South Australia and Queensland, but it is difficult 

 country to get at, at any event, over the Leopold Range. The 

 Warton Range breaks away a little here, and I think a pass 

 could be found through it by which Hall's Creek could be 

 reached. 



We now came to the commencement of another mighty 

 range, running east and west. This I have named the Phillips 

 Range. To a large creek coming out of the Warton and Phillips 

 Ranges I have given the name of M'Namara, after Mr. M'Namara, 

 of Wallal (Ninety Mile Beach). So far the river runs from 

 north-west by north. 



By aneroid I found Lake Gladstone to be 750 feet above 

 Derby, the Fitzroy 700 feet, and Phillips Gorge 800 feet. 



There is very fine timber on the river for station work. It 

 consists mainly of coolibah, box, plum, gum, and magnificent 

 bloodwood, bauhinia, currajong, and baobabs, which are really 

 splendid. I measured a solid one, which rose perpendicularly to 

 about 3 00 feet. I found it to be nearly 15 feet in diameter and 

 45 feet in circumference. On the plains mimosa predominates. 



Forty-three miles from its junction with the Fitzroy, the 

 M'Namara River comes out of one of the usual impenetrtible 

 gorges in the Phillips Range, which is very high, very rugged, 

 and I think impassable. There is a splendid water-hole at this 



