442 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



After a delay caused by the loss of a horse, Mulligan led the 

 party on nth May from the head of the LAURA up the spur of the 

 Coast Range discovered by him on 26th November, 1874, when 

 he had noted that it would be suitable for a dray track. It was 

 already, he now found, " used by diggers coming down from the 

 Palmer." 



Keeping a general southerly course, Mulligan crossed the 

 PALMER and ST. GEORGE RIVERS and camped on i6th May on the 

 bank of the MITCHELL. CAMP 6. As this region was already 

 familiar to him, Mulligan only remarks that " a good dray road 

 can be got, every perch of which we travelled." A DRAY ROAD 

 does now follow his track, connecting WOODVILLE, on the 

 Hodgkinson, with COOKTOWN, via UHRSTOWN. Mulligan's route 

 from the Mitchell to the eastern branch of the Hodgkinson 

 coincided with the dray road as laid down on the modern 

 map. His CAMP 7, of ijth May, on the EASTERN HODGKINSON, 

 was near the mouth of McLEOD CREEK. He was now on 

 AURIFEROUS GROUND HITHERTO UNKNOWN, and on prospecting got 

 a little GOLD. 



Travelling a mile or two south of the left bank of the river, 

 Mulligan continued next day to get " colours of GOLD," and camped 

 on the left bank about 2 miles east of MORAN CREEK. CAMP 8, 

 i<)th May. 



Next day (2Oth May) he followed up MORAN CREEK, which 

 he took to be (and which perhaps is) the largest head of the EASTERN 

 HODGKINSON, in a NNE. direction, getting only " colours " of 

 GOLD. His CAMP 9, on MORAN CREEK, he judged to be 13 miles 

 from Camp 8, but it is evident that the difficulties of travelling 

 and delays for the purpose of prospecting caused him to over- 

 estimate the distance. In 15 miles SSE., on the following day 

 (21 st May), he reckoned that at his CAMP 10 he had at last got 

 clear of the Hodgkinson waters. He was probably about the 

 head of ROMAN CREEK. 1 



East of the heads of the EASTERN HODGKINSON lies the granitic 

 mass which Mulligan named HANN'S RANGE, and which runs from 

 NNW. to SSE. Mulligan now made to the east for a gap in this 

 range, beyond which he confidently (and correctly) hoped to find 

 the head of the MITCHELL. He did, indeed, find it, but crossed 

 it without being aware of the fact. His CAMP 12, of 2yd May, 

 was on the MITCHELL, " close to a new mia-mia of the darkies," 

 and he " hoped to see the Mitchell to-morrow." The camp was 

 in " open forest country, more like a meadow, traversed by 

 numerous deep creeks, with a stream of water in each, and it was 

 difficult to find a stone for an anvil to punch horses' shoes on." 

 This FINE COUNTRY, hitherto untrodden by white men, excited his 



1 Called after " Sam the Roman," a Roumanian, afterwards a well-known 

 Hodgkinson "identity." 



