454 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



There is nothing remarkable about this country, nor are there 

 any landmarks ; I have not seen a mountain, nor a hill, peak or 

 anything of the kind, since we left the Tate River." l (SEE MAP G.) 

 " It may be considered," he adds, " one continual scrub of either 

 tea tree or brigalows right over from the Mitchell to the Palmer." 

 On the third day (22nd July), however, bloodwood and stringy- 

 bark trees made their appearance, and in 8 miles from Camp 45 

 the PALMER RIVER was crossed and CAMP 46 was pitched on its 

 northern or right bank.' " The formation," says Mulligan, " is 

 granite. The arenaceous rocks, or Desert Sandstone, we have 

 now left far behind us, and the siliceous drifts with the beautiful 

 rounded quartz pebbles seen in the Palmer would be sufficient to 

 induce us to proceed further up, did we not know that it has been 

 already worked." MOUNT DAINTREE was identified by bearings 

 taken from a slight elevation west of the camp. To the north-east 

 were seen the cliffs forming the western boundary of the " CON- 

 GLOMERATE " TABLELAND, the top of the cliffs here forming the 

 WATERSHED between the GULF and the PACIFIC. 



On 26th July, the party left CAMP 46 and travelled 10 miles 

 to 10 degrees north of east. CAMP 47 was on SARAGA CREEK. 

 In this neighbourhood, prospecting operations were conducted 

 among " rough quartz ridges," but the prospectors " couldn't 

 raise the colour anywhere." 



Owing to the straying of horses, the party did not get away 

 from SARAGA CREEK till ^otb July, when they travelled about 

 10 miles to the north-east. CAMP 48 must have been near what is 

 shown on the map as the ANNIE RIVER. " A vast number of 

 BLACKS' TOWNSHIPS " were observed on this day's march, and it 

 was inferred that the blacks were wont to camp in this region during 

 the season when the nonda fruit was ripe. 



It was now the intention of the party to make for the COLEMAN 

 RIVER, Hann's Journal having given them the idea that there was 

 auriferous country which it might be worth their while to prospect. 

 They started accordingly for the Coleman on 31 st July, but had 

 only gone a mile and a half to the north-west when their minds 

 were made up that the way lay plain and easy before them. A 

 consultation was held, and, " to make a long story short," it was 

 resolved : 



That they now knew their way to the Coleman ; 



That, if unsuccessful in their mission there, they might have 

 to stay for some time ; 



That they were short of many things with which it was 

 expedient to supply themselves before getting out of touch with 

 Palmerville ; 



1 The cliffs bounding the sandstone tableland were apparently the only noteworthy 

 features of the landscape. 



a Opposite the Benchmark Ti, PS, shown on the map as the " Initial Point " of 

 " Co. Strathleven." 



