Gipps 9 Land . 
69 
The scenery in this neighbourhood is the finest in Ginns’ 
Land. Upon your right the Alps are towering into the regions 
of perpetual snow,—before you lies an undulating country of 
hill and valley and plain intersected by sinuous waters, while 
far away in the south east the first elevations of the coast 
range begin to appear. 
Pursuing a south-west course the party traversed, as the 
crow flics, twenty miles of magnificent forest land, gradually 
narrowing into an open valley as the coast range and the di¬ 
viding range approached to each other. The spurs of these 
ranges soon intercepted the direct course, being succeeded by 
a thick willow scrub, fringing another river, to which the 
party began to draw near. At this point it became necessary 
to change the course to about north west; and after two days a 
crossing place was found considerably higher up the river 
This river was called Maconochie River, after Captain Maco- 
nochie, R.N, Fourteen miles farther in the direction of 
Corner Inlet is an eighth river, larger than any of the pre¬ 
ceding, which was named River Latrobe, in compliment to 
His Honor C. J. Latrobe. 
The aspect of the country varies in this portion of Gipps* 
Land. The River Maconochie is almost a boundary between 
the valleys and the hilly ground of the south west, and the Hat 
or undulating forest extending to the N.E. On the River 
Latrobe rich plains are no more to be seen, but in their place 
are wide and deep valleys to the N.VV. \ W., and hilly ranges 
to the S. and S.W., interspersed with innumerable creeks, and 
clothed with exuberant vegetation. From a neighbouring hill 
a panoramic view of the whole country is obtainable, including 
the dividing range running from N. VV. to S.W. on to Wilson’s 
Promontory, also a spur detached from the main range, which 
bending eastward from the S.W. crowns all this quarter with 
summits of moderate elevation; and bordering the sea-coast 
from one side, from the other embraces with the main ran^c 
the extensive valleys to the N.E. and W. 
After leaving the River Latrobe the course to Corner Inlet 
was resumed, but the utter exhaustion of the horses began 
seriously to impede the progress of the party. In a few days 
it was found necessary to abandon them. All those engaged 
in the expedition had now been for five weeks on an allowance 
of one biscuit and a slice of bacon per day ; and even at this 
rate the remainder of the provisions would only last four days. 
It was thus only from dire necessity and with deep regret that 
the original intention of pursuing the main range down to 
Wilson’s Promontory was at length relinquished, and the most 
direct course to Western Port immediately determined upon. 
The route now commenced led for twenty-two days through 
a scrubby country, timbered with the finest sort of blue rr^ u 
and black butt. The scrub in places was almost impassable 
