about twelve miles N.N.W., and followed the creek
about four miles, to allow our cattle and horses to drink freely at the
water-hole discovered by Charley the day before. We passed some plains,
and through a broad-leaved tea-tree forest, and then skirted a thick
scrub, which covered the approaches of a range. After seven miles
travelling, we came to an immense flat lightly timbered with box and
broad-leaved tea-tree, and surrounded on every side, except the S.S.E.,
by high ranges, protruding like headlands into the plain. Upon passing
them afterwards, I found them to form undulating chains of baked
sandstone hills.

We crossed several small watercourses going to the north-east and east,
and came to a considerable creek, near which basalt cropped out. This was
the first igneous rock of more recent date, that we had met with since
leaving Separation Creek, and the upper Lynd. Even my Blackfellows
recognized at once the rock of Darling Downs; and we hailed it as the
harbinger of western waters. The whole country up the creek had been
lately burned, which induced me to follow it towards its head, in hope of
finding the place where the natives had procured water. The bed was
filled with basaltic boulders, as were also its dry holes, from one of
which the Grallina australis rose, and for the first time deceived our
expectations. In a wider part of the valley, I observed wells of the
natives dug in the creek, which we enlarged in the hope of their yielding
a sufficient supply of water; but in this we were mistaken, as barely
enough was obtained to quench our own thirst. Charley, however, in a
search up the creek, and after a long ramble, found a small pond and a
spring in a narrow mountain gorge, to which he had been guided by a
beaten track of Wallurus. Our horses and bullocks, which were crowding
impatiently round the little hole we had dug, were immediately harnessed,
and we proceeded about three miles in a north direction to the head of a
rocky valley, where our cattle were enabled at least to drink, but all
the grass had been consumed by a late bush fire.

The Acacia of Expedition Range was plentiful in the large flat and at the
wells of the natives, and formed a fine tree: its seeds, however, were
shed, and had been roasted by the late bush fire. Mr. Phillips (who was
always desirous of discovering substitutes for coffee, and to whom we
owed the use of the river-bean of the Mackenzie) collected these seeds,
and pounded