BY THE HON. A. NORTON, M.L.C. 95 



Most of the streams along here were spoken of respectfully as 

 rivers ; they were very small streams, too. Six miles further 

 on we came to Elmore station on the Mackintyre River, 

 and to Copas Creek 10 miles beyond it. The country 

 on this more westerly track was generally less hilly 

 than that over which the main route passes, but ahead 

 of us, at no great distance, was a gap — -whose gap I 

 do not remember. The road approaching it led up a narrow 

 gully which quickly contracted as we followed it. To the cattle 

 its unevennes]) was of small consequence, but with the cart 

 matters were quite the other way. In places two of us had to 

 put all our strength onto the ropes which we had fixed to 

 the side of the cart farthest from the gully, but even that was 

 insufficient and in a turnover one of the shafts was broken. 

 We were all rather jaded when the day ended, but, happily, we 

 had done forever with that particular gap. At Clerkness, five 

 miles on, I found a carpenter, who repaired the damages 

 satisfactorily. We were now on the Bundarra River, and about 

 40 or 45 miles further on, having passed the Woolshed and 

 Capel's station, we descended by very rough roads to Barraba 

 township, a miserable looking place situated on the Manilla 

 River. We had now done with the New England district. 

 From this point we followed the Manilla River downwards to the 

 Manilla township, which consisted of a store and pub under one 

 roof, and two bark huts. It is situated at the junction of the 

 Manilla and Namoi rivers, near Baldwin's station. We passed 

 Cobcroft's station on the Peel River ; then another small 

 township named Carrol on the Namoi. A few miles further on 

 we struck the Mooki River and followed it up to Breeza town- 

 ship where we came onto the great stock-road to the South. 



By following this track along the western slopes we found a 

 generally smooth road, though in places it was extremely rough ; 

 we had better grass for the cattle, and were treated with every 

 consideration by the pastoralists across whose runs few stock 

 were driven, and we obtained an abundance of wild fowl. But 

 the circumstance to which I would specially direct attention is 

 the change that has come over the country along all these routes 

 during the forty to fifty years which have elapsed since I 

 travelled over them. Even in 1859 the only dwellings to 

 be met with were those occupied by the pastoralists and 

 their employees, and an occasional roadside inn. Scarcely 

 a fence was to be seen, except those which enclosed the homes of 



