CHAPTER XXXVIII 



THE NORTH AUSTRALIAN EXPLORING EXPEDITION, 1855-6 



GREGORY 



BRITISH GOVERNMENT FORMS PARTY TO EXPLORE INTERIOR. EIGHTEEN PERSONS, 

 INCLUDING LEADER (A. C. GREGORY) AND FERDINAND MUELLER. LANDING OF 

 PARTY NEAR PORT ESSINGTON (IST SEPTEMBER, 1855). DEPOTS ON VICTORIA 

 RIVER. NATIVES ATTEMPT TO BURN THE PARTY OUT. To ROPER RIVER. A 

 CAMP OF LEICHHARDT'S ? NATIVES ATTEMPT TO ROB A CAMP. LEICHHARDT'S 

 MCARTHUR RIVER. FUTURE QUEENSLAND BORDER, 2IST AUGUST, 1856. NICHOL- 



SON RlVER FOLLOWED DOWN TO EAST. ALBERT RlVER CROSSED. EASTWARD TO 



CROOKY CREEK. SOUTH-SOUTH-EASTWARD. NAMES LEICHHARDT RIVER AND 



CROSSES IT NEAR FUTURE FLORAVILLE STATION. ATTACK BY NATIVES CHECKED 



(4-TH SEPTEMBER). EASTWARD TO FLINDERS RIVER (O/TH SEPTEMBER). EASTWARD 

 TO NORMAN RIVER (IITH SEPTEMBER). RIVER FOLLOWED UP TO SSE. A FEW 

 MILES. EASTWARD TO BELMORE CREEK (50 MILES BELOW FUTURE CROYDON 

 GOLDFIELD). DOWN CLARINA CREEK. WESTWARD TO SITE OF FUTURE HAYDEN 

 RAILWAY STATION. NORTHWARD ACROSS CREEN CREEK (i5TH SEPTEMBER). 

 SCARCITY OF WATER. NORTHWARD TO WILLS AND WALKER CREEKS. WALKER 

 CREEK A LEAKAGE FROM GILBERT RIVER AND FALLS INTO NORMAN RIVER. NORTH- 

 WESTWARD TO SMITHBURN BRANCH OF GILBERT RIVER. THE BRANCH FOLLOWED 

 UP TO ITS LEAKAGE FROM THE GILBERT. SOUTH-WESTWARD UP GILBERT RIVER. 

 SITE OF FUTURE MIRANDA DOWNS STATION (23RD SEPTEMBER). CONFLUENCE 



OF ElNASLEIGH AND GlLBERT RlVERS. GlLBERT RlVER STILL FOLLOWED UP SoUTH- 



WESTWARD. CAMP NEAR SITE OF FUTURE GILBERT TELEGRAPH OFFICE. AURI- 

 FEROUS AND CUPRIFEROUS COUNTRY. TURNING NEAR THE FUTURE CUMBERLAND 

 TOWNSHIP, THE GILBERT RIVER is FOLLOWED UP SOUTHWARD (29 SEPTEMBER) 

 TO JUNCTION OF ROBERTSON RIVER. UP ROBERTSON RIVER (SE. AND NE). NEW- 

 CASTLE RANGE CROSSED. COPPERFIELD RIVER CROSSED NORTH OF FUTURE KIDSTON 

 TOWNSHIP. NORTH-EASTWARD. EINASLEIGH RIVER CROSSED (I2TH OCTOBER) 

 SOUTH OF FUTURE CARPENTARIA DOWNS STATION. EASTWARD. ACROSS WATER- 

 SHED OF PENINSULA. DOWN THE DRY RIVER TO THE BURDEKIN (i6TH OCTOBER). 

 DOWN BURDEKIN RIVER TO ITS JUNCTION WITH BELYANDO RIVER (ZIST OCTOBER). 

 MICLERE CREEK. GREGORY CREEK. MACKENZIE RIVER. ARRIVES AT CONNOR 

 AND FITZ'S STATION, DAWSON RIVER (22ND NOVEMBER). VIA RANNES, NANANGO 

 AND CABOOLTURE TO BRISBANE (i6TH DECEMBER, 1856). GREGORY'S VERY ACCURATE 

 CHARTING. 



IN 1854, at the instigation of the Royal Geographical Society, 

 the British Government, although at the time much pre- 

 occupied with the Crimean war, organised an expedition 

 designed " to lay open, if favoured with success, more of the 

 interior of the great Australian Continent than the many energetic 

 but partial attempts hitherto made have succeeded in develop- 

 ing." A sum of 5,000 was voted and it was understood that more 



266 



