515 
liiver. The road also crosses several ridges covered with stony dihris of the Desert 
Sandstone, but as a rule it keeps on the lower Eolling Downs Formation. Between 
Augathella and Nive Downs the road for eight miles is carried over a red sandy ridge, 
obviously formed from the dibris of the Desert Sandstone, which is probably in situ 
The road up the right bank of the Nive Biver shows nothing but the Bolling Downs 
Formatiun, and the divide between the heads of the Nive and Barcoo is crossed almost 
imperceptibly, and Tambo is reached without the Desert Sandstone being met with, 
although its cliffs are seen in the distance to left and right. 
As the road from Tambo to Blaekall follows the course of the Barcoo Elver below 
the level of the base of the Desert Sandstone, nothing of that formation is seen, but 
there can be no doubt the “ Broken Sand.stoue Eidges,” seen in the distance towards 
the heads of Dismal, Birkhoad, and Windeyer Creeks, and which are laid down on the 
Euns Map of Mitchell District, issued by the Lands Department, are outliers of the 
Desert Sandstone Bange, between the heads of the Barcoo and Belyando. The Euns 
Map of Mitchell District shows the edge of the Desert Sandstone tableland east of 
Aramac, and also shows distinctly how the water absorbed by the porous sandstone 
escapes at the edge of the tableland to form springs and waterholes (Friendly Springs, 
Lake Mueller— a soda lake — &c). On the Blaekall and Aramac Bead, between Home 
and Evora Creeks, the country is sandy, and the southern half of the district is covered 
with blocks of stone derived from the Desert Sandstone, clothed with Spinifex grass 
(Triodia) ; but the Eolling Downs strata aro the rocks in situ. It is evident, however, 
that the Desert Sandstone has but recently been denuded from this locality. The 
crossing of the Alice ne.ar Evora Creek is 1,150 feet above the level of the sea.* 
The road from Blaekall to Jericho Eailway Station, which was the terminus of 
the Central Eailway when 1 visited the district in November, 1885, after the first 
twenty-five miles up Dismal Creek, is carried through heavy sand clothed with Triodia, 
evidently the dibris of Desert Sandstone ; but it is at fifty-six miles from Blaekall that 
the formation is first seen in situ at a place locally known as “TheEocks. ” The 
sandstones are hard, fine-grained, yellow, ferruginous, and micaceous. Three miles 
further low hills rise on the north to an elevation of 1,930 feet above the sea and 50 
feet above the road. The beds of which these hills are composed dip at 3° to the 
West. A continuous cliff-section could not be seen. The uppermost beds are, of course, 
hard yellowish grit (which would make a fine building stone) with imperfect plant- 
impressions, and a beautiful fine-grainod, hard, white, siliceous grit, with a viti’ified 
appearance. One piece of a silicifled tree which 1 saw lying flat on the grit was three 
feet long and about eight inches in diameter. The talus below the cliffs shows that 
among the strata are some of ironstone and conglomerate (with round milk-white quartz 
pebbles), although these beds aro concealed by the talus. From the hill-lop similar hills 
are seen to the north and south, all presisnting their scarps to the east and dipping 
gently to the west. From this point to Jericho the road is heavy white sand formed 
from the waste of the Desert Sandstone in situ. Ten miles short of Jericho is a small 
spring on the roadside, the water standing only a foot below the surface (even in the 
terrible drought of 1885), and tasting strongly of lime, ft is surrounded by calcareous 
tufa.f 
* The Aneroid altitudes taken on this journey are given, as being at least of value relative to one 
another, although they are undoubtedly incorrect. The Railway Survey, for instance, makes the Baroaldine 
Terminus 953 feet, and this locality must he at least a little higher than the crossing of the Alice, where our 
Aneroid read 1,1.50 feet. 
t Jericho, according to the Railway Survey, is 1,220 feet above the sea : the Aneroid made it 1,410 feet. 
The reading.^ between Dulbydilla and Jericho will have to be corrected accordingly 
