160 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



with him in Sydney on the Association's affairs a few months 

 previously. Accompanied by his friend Mr. Hesse, a leading 

 solicitor of Hobart Town, the ex-Attorney-General sailed from 

 Launceston in the brig Henry, and arrived in Corio Bay on the 

 21st of February. While the tedious progress of landing the stock 

 was in operation, Messrs. Gellibrand and Hesse determined to pay 

 a flying visit to some of their co-adventurers whose runs were in 

 the neighbourhood, and then to ride overland across the Werribee 

 Plains to the Yarra. The accounts published of the course taken 

 by the wanderers are as conflicting as the legends concerning their 

 ultimate fate, and the assumed discovery of traces of their remains. 

 Perhaps the most detailed is that of Mr. George Thomas Lloyd, 

 who accompanied one of the earliest search parties, but its very 

 minuteness gives rise to suspicion of a free play of imagination. 

 The Hobart Town True Colonist of 19th March published the 

 fullest information then obtainable, but owing to the prevalent 

 ignorance of the geographical features of the new country it is 

 rather confused. It is known that they first visited Dr. Thomson's 

 station, " Kardinia," at Geelong, and having obtained the services 

 of one of his stockmen, named Akers, who was said to be acquainted 

 with the country on the Leigh River, they travelled under his 

 guidance to the homestead of an old Tasmanian shipmaster, Cap- 

 tain Pollock, who had squatted on the Barwon about eighteen 

 miles from Geelong. Here they remained for the night, and started 

 early next morning with a view of reaching the upper waters of the 

 river Leigh, whence they could strike across north-easterly to 

 Swanston's Station, and so down to the settlement on the Yarra. 

 Believing that they could reach Swanston's within twenty-four 

 hours, they only provisioned themselves with a few ship's biscuits. 

 It would appear that they crossed the Barwon at the wrong place, 

 and missing the junction of its tributary continued to follow up the 

 main river, which led away to the westward of their route. After 

 travelling some fifteen miles they began to enter upon a more 

 heavily timbered and broken country, and Akers, feeling assured 

 that they were not on the Leigh, declined to proceed any farther. 

 Gellibrand was, however, in no humour to turn back, and pointing 

 to the peaks of the Warrion Hills, on the Lake Colac, declared 



