THE WESTERN RIVERS OF THE PENINSULA 653 



38 miles till it joins the Archer River just before the latter dis- 

 charges into the Gulf of Carpentaria. 



On its right or northern side, this river receives an important 

 tributary, SAY CREEK, 8 miles above the Aboriginal Reserve. The 

 south side receives GUMBOL CREEK ( = Bloodwood in the native 

 language), MERKUNGA CREEK (gum tree) and KOKIALAH CREEK 

 (Kokialah being the designation of the local tribe of natives). 

 Mr. Embley had known the upper part of the river since 1886. 

 In 1895, during one of his periodical visits to York Downs, he 

 ran the river down to its junction with the Archer. On that 

 occasion he was accompanied by Leo Watson, of Merluna Downs, 

 after whom the river was named. 



EMBLEY AND HEY RIVERS 



In 1885-6, while surveying the leases applied for in connection 

 with York Downs, Mr. Embley had become familiar with a creek 

 which he named KURRACOO (box tree) CREEK. (SEE MAP D.) 

 This creek rises a little north of the head of Say Creek, and after 

 a course of 20 miles to the north-west, i.e.^ to the boundary of the 

 Aboriginal Reserve, becomes navigable by boats for the remainder 

 of its course (27 miles), west-north-westward, to Albatross Bay. 



In September, 1 895 , the REV. NICHOLAS HEY, whose headquarters 

 were at Mapoon, Port Musgrave, rode out with a gold-digger 

 named Rigby and a black boy, and " reached in four days YORK 

 DOWNS cattle station, the headquarters of MR. EMBLEY, a Govern- 

 ment Surveyor whom they had resolved to consult." l The 

 object of the journey was to select a site for an out-station of the 

 Mapoon Mission. " They were fortunate enough," continues 

 the historian of Mapoon, " to find Mr. Embley at the cattle 

 station, and he showed them the utmost hospitality the place could 

 afford." Mr. Embley accompanied the party for the furtherance 

 of their object, of which he highly approved, having in view the 

 establishment of a modus vivendi with the native population, and 

 led them to the north side of the navigable river, where they 

 selected a site for what is now the out-mission-station of WEIPA. 



Shortly afterwards, the HON. JOHN DOUGLAS, Government 

 Resident at Thursday Island, steamed in the " Albatross " to what 

 he afterwards named ALBATROSS BAY and officially named Mr. 

 Embley's " river navigable by boats " the EMBLEY RIVER. 



Eight miles from its mouth, the south side of the Embley 

 River receives the HEY RIVER, a wide arm of the sea which penetrates 

 the land for about 10 miles to the south. At its head it receives 

 four or five small fresh-water streams, as described by Archibald 

 Meston and others. 



The navigable portion of the Embley River was surveyed by 



1 The Miracle of Mapoon, by Arthur Ward, p. 197. 



