MULLIGAN'S THIRD EXPEDITION 431 



they " kept well on the range," travelling was even more difficult 

 than on the 7th. " In all my travels," Mulligan remarks, " I 

 never saw such rough country as to-day. All porphyry, intermixed 

 with sandstone, therefore it is not slippery, otherwise the horses 

 could not get along. I cannot see to what earthly use this country 

 can be turned. Such a solid block of country, of about 50 miles 

 across by 100 miles long, stretching longways from within a few 

 miles of the Mitchell towards the head of the Lynd ; too rough 

 and stony, destitute of grass, not even enough for a kangaroo ! " 

 Nevertheless, he reached and camped on the WALSH in the afternoon. 

 The precise position of this CAMP cannot be given, though it might 

 easily be located, if one were on the spot. I take it to be about 

 6 miles down the river from the infall of EMU CREEK. 1 It could 

 easily be located by the ALMOST BOILING SPRING which Mulligan 

 found beside it, and no doubt the spring is known to many of the 

 wolfram, tin, copper and silver miners a population ever prone 

 to wandering and prospecting now resident within easy reach of 

 it at the Wolfram Camp, Lappa-Lappa, Koorboora and Chillagoe. 



Trying next day (nth September) to follow the course of the 

 river downward to the west, the party travelled 12 miles, but had 

 to turn back some distance to find a crossing, as the valley had 

 narrowed to an impassable gorge, so that probably the actual westing 

 was comparatively small. The CAMP was on a little patch of green 

 feed, beside a BOILING SPRING. On the I2th, the river was followed 

 down for 15 miles, and the frequent HUMAN FOOTPRINTS seen proved 

 the native inhabitants to be numerous. 



On the i^tbj still following the WALSH down to the west, " a 

 very large river, like the Palmer," was found falling in from the 

 south. The conjecture may be made that this " river " was 

 CHILLAGOE CREEK. The " much smaller river " which fell in on 

 the north side was probably DOOLAN CREEK. (SEE MAP G.) The 

 CAMP for the night was probably just west of the infall of ROOKWOOD 

 CREEK. Here two branded trees were found, one marked 



T L W 



M A H X XI and the other C R. Mulligan's position was 



1871 A XX I I 



now WEST OF HANN'S " FURTHEST EAST" on the Walsh (i3th July, 

 1872). He (Mulligan) attributed the marks to members of " J. 

 EDWARDS' PARTY, when out prospecting in 1871." If he was 

 right, Hann was, after all, not the first to visit this portion of the 

 Walsh. Even in that case, the unrecorded visit of the prospector 

 does not detract from the credit due to Hann, who named, traced 

 and mapped the river a year later, and located its junction with 

 the Mitchell. 



On i^th September, Mulligan ran the WALSH down, and left 

 it at a reach which bent to the south. He then, for a short 



i Till recently, EMU CREEK was only known as the " THIRD WALSH." 



