change in the appearance of the country. We had
been for some time travelling through forest land which now opened into
grassy and level plains, variegated with belts and clumps of lofty trees
giving to the whole the appearance of a park. We had now the hilly mass
of Mount Arapiles on our right, or north of us, but to my surprise there
was no river flowing between us and those heights as I had reason to
suppose from what had been seen from the tree by Burnett. Turning towards
the north-west therefore and at last northward, we finally encamped on a
spot to the westward of the hill after a journey of sixteen miles. Much
of the ground near this hill was so soft that one of the carts could not
be brought in before midnight, although assisted by several teams sent
back from the camp. We were now encamped on a dark-coloured soil from
which arose the same peculiar smell that I had remarked at Cudjallagong
(Regent's Lake of Oxley). What had become of the Wimmera I could scarcely
imagine but, anxious to ascertain its course, I hastened before sunset to
a western extremity of the hill; but instead of the river, of which I
could see no trace, I beheld the sun setting over numerous lakes: the
nearest, two miles and a half to the northward, being apparently six
miles in circumference. It seemed to be nearly circular and a group of
low grassy hills formed a concentric curve around the eastern margin, and
from the total absence of any reeds, trees, or smoke of natives, it was
too obvious that the water was salt. From the spot where I then stood I
counted twelve such lakes, most of them appearing to have a
crescent-shaped mound or bank on the eastern side. This certainly was a
remarkable portion of the earth's surface, and rather resembled that of
the moon as seen through a telescope. The eastern and principal summit of
the hill was at some distance; and I returned to the camp in hopes of
being able to discover from that point in the morning some indication of
the further course of the Wimmera.

ASCEND MOUNT ARAPILES.

July 23.

Having ascended the highest summit I counted from that height
twenty-seven circular lakes, two of the largest being about seven miles
to the north-east, the direction in which I expected to see the river.
Beyond these however I observed an extensive woody valley whence much
smoke arose, marking, to all appearance, the course of the Wimmera which
must have taken a turn in that direction, not far below the jun