CHAPTER LXI 

 MULLIGAN'S SECOND PALMER EXPEDITION, 1874 



FROM THE PALMER TO THE JUNCTION OF THE ST. GEORGE 

 AND MITCHELL RIVERS, AND BACK 



RAPID PROGRESS OF COOKTOWN AND OCCUPATION OF PALMER GOLDFIELD. ROADS 

 FROM PORT TO FIELD. MULLIGAN LEAVES COOKTOWN, IST MAY. A PREVIOUS 

 EXPEDITION. GOLD ON HEADS OF KENNEDY (OR LAURA ?). NORTH PALMER 

 RIVER. PALMER RIVER. SERIOUS ENCOUNTER WITH NATIVES. PALMERVILLE AND 

 COMMISSIONER'S UPPER CAMP (DWARDSTOWN). LEAVES EDWARDSTOWN, 4 JUNE. 

 OAKY AND SANDY CREEKS. OAKY CREEK OVERCROWDED. DIGGERS FROM UPPER 

 PALMER PUSHING UP SANDY CREEK. PARTY ON GOLD AT PINE CREEK, 13 JUNE TO 

 9TH JULY. " PAYABLE GOLD " DEFINED. PROXIMITY OF CANNIBAL CREEK TIN 

 MINES. START SOUTHWARD AND CROSS DIVIDE TO NEW RIVER (ST. GEORGE). 



GOLD, BUT NOT ENOUGH. UP AND DOWN THE ST. GEORGE. ITS JUNCTION WITH 



THE MITCHELL. DOGGED BY DIGGERS. CAMP ON MITCHELL NEAR LIMESTONE 

 CREEK. HEADS NORTH-WESTWARD FOR PALMERVILLE. THE ANGLO-SAXON GOLD 

 MINE. GOLD ON MITCHELL SIDE OF DIVIDE BETWEEN MITCHELL AND PALMER. 

 REACHES PALMERVILLE, 27 JULY. 



WITHIN nine months of the first " rush " the settlement 

 of COOKTOWN and the new PALMER GOLDFIELD 

 had made rapid strides. The record of Mulligan's 

 " second " trip is chiefly valuable for the light it throws 

 on the new activity, and only the concluding portion shows that he 

 broke new ground. 



There were soon two roads from Cooktown to the Palmer, 

 the first, the DRAY ROAD, or COWARD'S TRACK, being practicable for 

 wheel traffic to within 15 miles of the goldfield, and the second, 

 or DOUGLAS'S TRACK, " a good bridle track in fine weather." (SEE 

 MAPS E AND G.) Both roads made for the heads of the NORMANBY, 

 the dray road, up the westmost branch, which afterwards came 

 to be named LAKE CREEK (after Captain Lake, of the A.U.S.N. 

 Co.) and Douglas's Track crossing Cox CREEK (now called the EAST 

 NORMANBY) and the WEST NORMANBY. (SEE MAP G.) 



Mulligan left the Four-Mile Camp, Cooktown, on 1st May, 

 ii 6 425 



