82 NOTES OF TRAVEL — 1859-60 



Clarence River, except when he was travelling with me on two 

 trips from Grafton to Victoria with store cattle, and on 12th Sep- 

 tember, 1859, we started on our long journey. The three horses 

 which I had selected specially for the trip were fine animals in 

 splendid condition, and proved to be well fitted for the work 

 they had before them. On the first evening we put up at the 

 Red Cow Hotel, at Parramatta, v>^here I had engaged to meet a 

 few friends. A brother of my own wab one of them ; the others 

 were Dr. and Mrs. Walter Brown, who at that time were settled 

 in Parramatta, and Mr. and Mrs, William Henry Walsh, the 

 latter a sister of Mrs. Brown, but at that time resident at 

 Degilbo, on the Burnett River. The Walshes afterwards settled 

 in Brisbane, Mr. Walsh having honorably acquitted himself, not 

 only as a Member of Parliament, but also as Speaker and as a 

 Minister of the Crown. 



On 13th September we passed through Penrith, made the 

 ascent of Lapstone Hill, and pulled up for the night at Wascoe's. 

 There, Nelson Lawson, an old schoolfellow, overtook me, and on 

 the following day we travelled together over the old Blue Moun- 

 tain road. From Blackheath, on the following morning, we 

 started in snow and sleet, and had similar weather on the two 

 next days. Lawson took the Mudgee road from Wallerawang, 

 land my man keeping along the mountainous track to the Fry- 

 ingpan, and thence across the plains to Bathurst, on the head 

 of the iMacquarie ; after passing Wallerawang the country was 

 all new to me, but in many rospects it resembled New England, 

 where I had resided for five years. The town of Bathurst at 

 this time was not very large ; it is prettily situated on the left 

 bank of the Macquarie River. Most of the buildings were of 

 brick, with shingled roofs, which were green-tinted by the moss 

 that grew on them as they became old. From Bathurst we 

 journeyed on to Orange, a country town situated under the 

 Canoblas, near the summit of which, at that time, were large 

 patches of snow. Between Bathurst and Orange we passed 

 through Gulgong. From Orange we made a short day to 

 Molong, as one of my horses was lame. The following day, 

 however, we had lunch at the Black Rock, and then passed on 

 to Wellington, in all 39 miles, and on 21st September we 

 reached Dubbo, having had a wet ride during the afternoon. 

 Here the country was almost level ; the resemblance to New 

 England had disappeared ; other trees became plentiful in the 

 forest ; other flowers showed themselves in the grass ; other birds 



