7 2I 



miles long, with a bit of ' devil-devil.' ... It ought to be great 

 sugar land." They reached Camp 37 at night. 



The object of this excursion was to see some country which 

 Dick had been informed at Dodd's camp was considered by Bowden 

 to be " likely " for gold. It would appear, therefore, that WILLIAM 

 BOWDEN, the well- known prospector, had already visited this 

 district. 



On iztb August, the whole party left Camp 37, which had been 

 their headquarters since 27th July. They appear to have travelled 

 north-north-west, as they arrived in an hour at the first of the 

 YARDS which Dick and Sheffield had visited on 4th August. They 

 travelled altogether an estimated distance of 10 miles, having 

 CROSSED THE DIVIDE to western waters, and camped at noon on a 

 large creek which they conjectured might be HULL CREEK, but 

 which may have been one of the heads of the BATAVIA RIVER 

 (CAMP 39). 



In 10 miles of travelling W., N., S. and E., on i$th August, 

 the party kept nearly on the WATERSHED of the Peninsula, finally 

 camping on the eastern, or Lockhart, fall (CAMP 40). The grass 

 was long, and too wet to burn, and there was not a gully which 

 could be prospected. Dick remarks on the absence of a " range " 

 on the watershed, and his ideas as to his position were vague. 

 Early in the day he believed himself to be on the west side of 

 Ben Lomond. He was, in fact, trying to reconcile his experiences 

 with the imperfect map (the 4-mile Lands Map) in his hands (on 

 which Attack, Geikie, Falloch and Hull Creeks are misplaced and 

 Ben Lomond is not shown). 



On i6th August, after a short run to the north-east, a thick 

 SCRUB was met with, into which gullies ran eastward, to join the 

 Lockhart. The edge of the scrub was followed to the south, and 

 the party found themselves, after an estimated course of 8 miles, 

 back on their track of I2th August (CAMP 41). " Fine colours " 

 of GOLD were obtained from gullies near the camp on the i6th and 

 1 7th. 



On iSth August, Dick and Sheffield went out prospecting 

 towards the MC!LWRAITH RANGE, i.e., towards the divide, crossing 

 deep gullies, thick scrub and long grass. In several gullies they 

 got " colours " of GOLD. Camped at nightfall in a grassy pocket 

 (CAMP 42). This camp is marked in the diary " SURPRISE CREEK 

 CAMP." 



In the morning of igth August, Dick and Sheffield prospected 

 a gully below the camp and got GOLD in several dishes, some of it 

 in " coarse colours." 



While the men were at work prospecting, the dogs sounded an 

 alarm, and two BLACK BOYS were discovered up a tree. The blacks 

 were unarmed and explained in English that they had only retired 

 from fear of the dogs. On descending, they agreed to join the party. 



