FROM THE COAST RANGE TO THE PALMER 213 



have been near the left, or southern, bank of QUAMBER CREEK (?). 

 The 13^, being Sunday, was given to rest and prayers. 



Next day (i^tb August) it was found that NIBLET, the store- 

 keeper, had been APPROPRIATING STORES for himself and making 

 false returns. Kennedy thereupon gave the charge of this depart- 

 ment to Carron and a weekly ration was directed to be weighed 

 out for the future. The FLOUR was found to have been reduced to 

 700 LB. Having started with 2,240 Ib. on 5th June, about two- 

 thirds had been consumed in 70 days, or at the rate of about 

 118 Ib. per man, which works out at about 1*7 Ib. per man per day. 

 The future RATION was fixed at 50 Ib. per week for the thirteen men ; 

 equal to a little over half a pound per man per day. In addition, 

 there were to be served out weekly for the thirteen men : I2lb. 

 of sugar and 2| Ib. of tea ; and, as before, a sheep was to be killed 

 every second day. Starting with 100 sheep, 35 would be eaten in 

 the 70 days, and allowing 5 more for losses, there would now be 

 about 60 left. 



The journey was resumed on i$th August, scrub having to be 

 cut nearly all day, and the party camped " by the side of a fine 

 Casuarina creek coming from the north-east." There can be no 

 doubt that this was the WILD RIVER, the head of the Herbert. 

 The CAMP was probably about 4 miles above the modern 

 WOODLEIGH cattle station and 20 miles below the tin-mining 

 township of HERBERTON, which is now connected by RAILWAY with 

 the port of Cairns, in Trinity Bay. One more HORSE was 

 ABANDONED, leaving twenty-two. 



i6tb August. No reference is made by Carron to the crossing 

 of the Wild River, and the presumption is that it was forded with- 

 out difficulty, as it may be in many places. (MULLIGAN must have 

 crossed KENNEDY'S TRACK here on 8th June, 1875.) This day's 

 stage, to the north-west probably, ended near the head of NETTLE 

 CREEK, a tributary of the Wild River and a prolific source of stream 

 tin in later years. One HORSE, too weak to travel further, was 

 KILLED (leaving twenty-one) and what flesh was on him was EATEN 

 in two days, and the SAVING OF ONE SHEEP for future consumption was 

 effected. On the following day (17^), only a short stage had been 

 made when the party camped out of consideration for the horses, 

 there being rugged and broken country to the north-west. This 

 country, although the explorers were not aware of it or at any rate 

 Carron was not was the DIVIDE BETWEEN the rivers falling eastward 

 into the PACIFIC and westward into the GULF OF CARPENTARIA. 

 The night's CAMP must have been a little north of the modern 

 tin-mining township of COOLGARRA and not far from the present 

 TELEGRAPH LINE and road from Coolgarra to Herberton. 



On 1 8tb August, the march was continued ACROSS THE DIVIDE 

 and 4 miles north-west till a camp was found " by the side of a 

 fine river, with steep reedy banks lined with large casuarinas and 



