530 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



December 16. Some of the prospectors' horses having strayed, 

 my party went on ahead. We steered due north for 3 miles, and 

 north-north-east for 2 miles, till we reached some ridges from which 

 the sandstone-capped mountains to the west could be distinctly 

 seen. I wished to visit the sandstone range, to see if there was 

 any likely country behind it, and waited some time for the pros- 

 pectors to come up, having heard Crosbie's stockwhip 2 miles 

 back. They did not, however, appear, and I moved on, confident 

 that they would follow our tracks. It turned out otherwise, 

 as they lost the track on the stony ridges where we changed our 

 course. They kept on the same course, believing that we would 

 make for it to rejoin them. 



Three miles due west brought us to the nearest point of the 

 SANDSTONE HILLS. They turned out much lower than I anticipated 

 only 200 feet or so above the level of the plain. Only a thickness 

 of about 50 feet of sandstone was seen. The sandstone was ferru- 

 ginous and very hard. It contained little pebbles of quartz and 

 large ones of slate and quartzite. It appeared to be partly 

 composed of fine volcanic dust. 



A granite mountain, higher than the sandstone range, extended 

 from near our Camp 9 to the Lukin [Holroyd] River. 



From the sandstone range I got a fine view to the north and 

 north-east, but was unable to see the country to the west. 



On descending from the sandstone tableland we struck magnetic 

 north (N. 6 E., true). [SEE MAP C.] In 6 miles [about what 

 is now the northern boundary of the HAMILTON GOLDFIELD. 

 R. L. J.], we obtained from a low ridge a good view of the ranges at 

 the Coen diggings. It was getting time to look for a camp, but 

 water (which had been plentiful up to this point) was not to be 

 had. We followed a gully from its head for 8 miles down its 

 windings say 5 miles to the north when we got a little water in 

 a tributary gully. It was a miserable supply a clay puddle 

 swarming with tadpoles and frog-spawn. It took a good deal of 

 straining through calico to make it fit for the tea-billy. We named 

 the creek we had followed down TADPOLE CREEK. (CAMP 10.) 

 [LOCHINVAR, the centre of the PROVISIONAL GOLDFIELD of that 

 name, is now about a mile below our Camp 10. R. L. J.] 



The country traversed to-day was all granite, gently undulating, 

 with siringybark and bloodwood timber, and a few poplar-gums. 

 Occasional " graveyard flats " studded with meridional ant-hills. 



December 17. Charlie having heard the bells of the prospectors' 

 horses last night, led the party in the direction from which the 

 sound had reached his quick ears. In one mile east-north-east 

 he came on the prospectors' tracks at the crossing of a third- 

 magnitude creek. We followed the track due north, and in 2 miles 

 arrived at the prospectors' last night's camp on the right bank of the 

 same creek. In 4 miles north we reached the Coen [i.e., the SOUTH 



