PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION E. 539' 



4.— EXPLORATION IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA. 

 By H. VERB BARCLAY, F.R.G.S. 



5.— NOTES OF A CRUISE ROUND MELVILLE AND BATHURST 



ISLANDS. 



By LIONEL C. E. GEE, S.M. 



[Apridged.] 



The following notes were made by me in 1905, as a member of the 

 Government Geologist's stall, whilst making a geological and general 

 exploration of the north-western portion of the Northern Territory. 



We had an uncomfortable night at our anchorage in Clarence 

 Strait, situated 10 miles south of Melville Island. The numerous 

 tide races and rips on these coasts make the sea very jobbly. Early 

 next morning we were under way, and were soon as close to the Melville 

 Island coast, near Maclear Creek, as it was safe to approach, and 

 anchored again ; a sandy beach was in front of us, with a heavy surf 

 rolling in upon it. The coast seemed to be well timbered, and low 

 hills could be seen in the distance. 



The wind died away, the sea moderated,* and early in the after- 

 noon we were able to land. Behind the beach there extended a low 

 sandy rise timbered with large casuarinas, so large, indeed, that they 

 reminded me of the fine bull oaks I had seen on the track between 

 Deep Well and Ooraminna, near the Macdonnell Ranges. Remains 

 of old camp fires were seen here, and buffalo tracks were plentiful. 

 Close to where we landed, on top of the sandy rise, we found a circular 

 space about 10ft. in radius, carefully cleared of all grass, and a small 

 mound piled up in the middle ; our boys pronounced it to be a native 

 grave. 



Maclear Creek is a mangrove-lined tidal inlet, and the tide being 

 low we passed it walking westward along a sandy beach, with reefs 

 here and there. Soon we came to a conspicuous clump of large casua- 

 rinas, with old camps in the middle — a most picturesque spot just above 

 the beach. Near here we found a turtle's nest, but the Melville islanders 

 had found it before us. At about a mile further on the low sand risef^ 

 at the back of the beach gave place to low reddish clayey cliffs, the 

 country at the back being well timbered with woolly-butt, stringy- 

 bark, ironwood, &c., the soil evidently being very good. We followed 

 these cliffs on to the end, about another mile ; the tide was then very 

 low, and on the exposed rocks we found a splendid lot of fossils. I also 

 got a few good shells on the beach. We were all well armed, of course, 

 and Bubs and Loman (native bovs with us) kept a sharp look-out, 

 Carlos (a Manillaman of our party) was very useful in finding fossils 



