od, tea, and other trees; the second part
consisting of flat country, rich soil, well grassed, and wooded with
bauhinia and western-wood acacia. The acacia I have mentioned is called
gidya in some places of Australia. Then, after crossing, in half a mile,
a strip of unwooded country extending to the right and left of our
course, we halted for thirty-five minutes to try and get the sun's
meridian altitude, but did not succeed as the sun was obscured. Then,
after coming over poor low ridges covered with triodia and wooded chiefly
with tea trees for five and three-quarter miles, we reached at 2.45 a
ravine and encamped. Direction travelled this day east by south half
south.

February 19. Camp 8, situated in a ravine from an adjoining tableland.

In the rocky basin of the ravine I think water will always be found. We
left camp at 6.40 this morning and came in an east by south half south
direction. The country for a short distance was confined, but on
descending the valley it opened out into plains separated from each other
by isolated hills of a conical form. The tops of the hills were covered
by rocks which, from their appearance, were of a sandstone formation; the
lower parts of the hills were well grassed, the plains of rich soil, and
covered with a luxuriant green herbage. At 9.30, having come over the
plains on our old course for five miles from the isolated hills, we
reached the Flinders River. The river, we were glad to find, had been
recently flooded; in crossing we ascertained it had four channels, one of
which was running. As this was the river on the banks of which Mr. Walker
said he had found the track of Burke's party I thought it would be a good
plan to follow it up, and resolved to do so. At 10.10 from the opposite
bank of the river we came south two and three-quarter miles, which took
us over country wooded with box and terminalis to plains similar to those
I have described on the left bank of the river, with this difference that
on this side there were more flats and pigweed, salt herbs, and saltbush.
At 12 having halted I got the following observation: meridian altitude of
the sun 82 degrees, latitude 18 degrees 32 minutes 30 seconds. At 1.20
south-south-east three and a quarter miles over rich well-grassed plains;
at 2.5 south-east and by south two and a quarter miles; at 13.13
south-west and by south three miles through wooded, rich, flat country to
water, and encamped. Distance today nineteen and a quar