MAJOR MITCHELL'S "AUSTRALIA FELIX" 93 



smooth grassy banks and bright shrubs festooned with brilliant 

 creepers alternating with picturesque limestone cliffs out of which 

 cascades were flowing from cavernous recesses glittering with 

 stalactites. The breadth of the stream had increased to over a 

 hundred yards, and the Major declared it to be the finest body of 

 fresh water he had seen in Australia. Would it justify the richness 

 of its promise by developing an outlet worthy to be the harbour of 

 so richly fertile a region ? Alas ! the next day decided the question 

 in the negative. The .inevitable sandy bar that closes the mouths 

 of all Victorian rivers was there, and while there was four fathoms 

 of water in the stream within sight and sound of the thunderous 

 breakers that stretched their white line of foam across the outlet, 

 it dwindled to about two feet on the bar, and dissipated all hope of 

 access to the verdant interior by this route. After careful noting 

 of the position, Mitchell returned to his camp in two days, and on 

 the 23rd started due east on his homeward route. On the 28th 

 of August, being only about fifteen miles to the north of Portland 

 Bay, he determined to give the party a day or two of rest, and rode 

 down to that station, accompanied by a few men on horseback. 

 He was greatly surprised to find here a number of huts, a brig at 

 anchor in the bay, and a small industrious community hard at work 

 under the direction of the Henty Brothers, whose first impression, 

 already narrated, was that the explorers must be bushrangers. 

 Mutual explanations soon cleared away all suspicions, the visitors 

 were hospitably entertained, and returned to their camp after a 

 day's sojourn with some additions to their stock of provisions. 



On the 2nd of September the homeward journey was resumed in 

 a north-east direction, following for a large portion of the distance 

 the route now taken by the Portland and Ararat Eailway, passing 

 over the sites of the present towns of Hamilton and Dunkeld. 

 On the 17th it was decided, in consequence of the exhausted state 

 of the cattle from the heavy dragging in soft ground, that the 

 party should be divided, Major Mitchell taking the freshest cattle 

 and the lightest equipment and pushing on for the Murray, from 

 whence, if necessary, he could send back supplies, while the re- 

 mainder should camp where they were for two weeks to recruit. 

 With diminished impedimenta the rest of the journey was very 



