10 
Saturday, 29th. — Camp No. 31 . In the morning we found that they had scarcely moved, and we commenced 
to make preparations before 2 a.m., hut had finally to wait until nearly 5 a.m. before it was sufficiently light 
to make a start. We then steered away towards the south, striking the river again at five miles, which we 
followed in a S.S.E. direction for six and a half miles, and then finally left it. I have previously crossed it at 
a point thirty -five miles south-east of here, amongst the sandridges, still trending away in a S.S.E. direction. 
Our course now was N.N.E. over high red sandridges covered with dense spinifex and a few low wattle and 
grevillia bushes. At nine and a half miles changed bearing to east (85°) for thirteen miles: thence N.N.W. 
for nine miles, and west for six miles, without meeting with any change ol country ; camped when too dark 
to travel any longer. Our camels appear very distressed and won’t stand much more of this kind of work. 
Our stage to day has been forty-nine miles. 
Sunday, 30th. — Camp No. 32. We left this camp at daybreak, our course being a little to the east of 
north across high and very steep red sandridges with the usual spinifex and burs, from which our cnmels 
suffer very much ; a continual stream of blood is trickling down their hind legs. At sixteen miles, I altered 
our course to S.W. by W. for seventeen miles — desert spinifex country ; thence due west for eleven miles, 
back to camp No. 30. 1 found everything there all right, the black boy alone being dissatisfied; he is very 
anxious to return to Bindiacka, and is quite sick of this desert country. 
Monday, October 1st.— Camp No. 30. Started the camels back to Yarracurracoo Well this morning; 
they are to return on our out-coming tracks. I took two camels and proceeded in a N.E. direction (30°), 
across the same kind of red sandridges so often described ; at eleven miles altered my course to E.N.h. (65°) 
for seventeen and half miles ; thence W.N.W. (295°) for eleven and a quarter miles ; camped some time alter 
sundown amongst high dense spinifex and red sandridges, a most discouraging country to travel over, and 
for which a man obtains little or no credit ; and yet it is necessary to traverse and examine this country in 
detail, for one can never tell where and when an oasis may be found. 
Tuesday, 2nd. — Camp No. 33. I started at daybreak, my camels having fed close to the camp 
all night, and made a straight course for the well, which bears about \V . by S., at twenty and half miles, 
across desert spinifex country and sandridges. I landed right at the well ; I soon formed a camp and re-dug 
the well, and also put up a secure rail fence around it to prevent the camels from injuring themselves. The 
natives have been here during our absence and carried away their valuables. 
Wednesday, 3rd. — Leaving all those camels at the well which needed a rest, I took two of the pack- 
camels to ride ; the brutes were very awkward and fearfully rough and slow ; several times they attempted 
to pull us out of the saddle. We started in a north-west direction, traversing the usual sandhill country; 
we also crossed numerous claypans and hard flats between the sandridges : these were abundantly covered 
with small ironstone pebbles and* fragments of brown slate, and splendidly grassed — Mitchell grass and saltbush 
growing in profusion in many places. We also met with a good deal of dense scrub, consisting of wattle 
bushes and mulga. At about thirteen miles we altered our course to west, and for ten miles travelled over 
open spinifex sandridges. I then again changed our course to S.W. for eleven miles, across similar country, 
and south for nine miles, to No. 34 camp The last distance was across high and very steep red sandridges. 
It is very monotonous and dreary work to travel across this kind of desert country day after day. Our 
camels, on being let go, laid down and never moved until about 2 a.m. 
Thursday, 4th.— They then apparently started to feed. We were after them at daybreak, and had to 
walk about seven miles before we overtook them ; in consequence of this a very late start was made from 
No. 34 camp — course about 10° north of east for nearly eleven miles, across very high and steep spinifex 
sandridges ; we then altered our course to east, across similar country. At eleven miles we passed a few 
miles to the north of a rather large salt lake, whi h I have named Lake Caroline. The country now undergoes 
a change; numerous stony claypans (some of which appear to bold water for a considerable time after rain) 
occur amongst the sandridges, which open out considerably, the intermediate space being occupied by fine 
hard flats, which are splendidly grassed — Mitchell and various other grasses and saltbush being very abundant. 
At seventeen miles we returned to camp (No. 29) at Yarracurracoo Well, and made preparations for our 
final departure from this river, which has been of great service to us. Without it I should have had great 
difficulty in examining and mapping such a large space of desert country as I have been over in the last 
week or ten days ; the well receives most of the drainage from the claypan flats on the west side of the river, 
thus very little rain would cause a large quantity of water to run into the creek and eventually drain into the 
well. We have made no impression on the water ; in fact, it seems to drain in faster and more abundantly than 
when we first arrived here, and I think that water can always be obtained here for fully a twelve months 
after rain ; the supply at present is about a thousand gallons per day. I have marked a tree on or near the 
eastern bank of the river with my initials and number of the camp, thus C ' 2 9 V ' ; the well is about six chains to 
the west of the marked tree, which no one riding near the eastern side of the creek can fail to notice. 
Friday, 5th. — We started from here about 6 a.m. and pursued a north-easterly course the whole day ; 
a strong north-westerly gale, blowing clouds of sand about, renders travelling anything but pleasant. For 
about two and a half miles from the well the country is fairly grassed ; beyond that the high red sandridges 
and dense spinifex continue unbroken as far as the Field River to the eastward. We camped about an hour 
after sunset, having travelled about twenty-eight miles. Our camp is situated amongst very high spinifex, 
and we were compelled to remove a large patch before we could attempt to light a fire, the least spark from 
which would have resulted probably in the total destruction of the whole party; the north-west gale 
continued with unabated force throughout the night. During our journey to-day we set fire to the spinifex 
many miles from our present camp ; the strong wind has caused the fire to assume vast proportions and to 
extend for miles towards the south. About 3 o’clock in the morning the whole heaven assumed a lurid 
appearance, and at one time presented a grand and magnificent sight, which we. however, did not fully 
appreciate ; the fact that the fire might jrossibly take a sweep towards our camp or reach the camels 
considerably reduced our admiration. 
Saturday, 6th. — We however got safely through the night and started after the camels at daybreak. 
These brutes when most wanted generally take a rambling fit. It was late before we obtained a final start ; 
our course was about 11° east of north. At two miles we ascended a high sandridge near a remarkable 
single tree which is visible for many miles around. Some high and prominent hills are visible to the S.E., 
about seven miles distant. I have named the highest point “Mount Knuckey,” after Mr. R. Knuckey, one 
of the well-known pioneers of the Overland Telegraph Line. Many detached hills of various shapes, some 
circular, but many more tent-shaped or table-topped, are visible towards the north ; the highest hill bears 
about 355° or five degrees west of north, and is sixteen miles distant. I have named it Mount Dobbie, after 
