are well-known to be occupying plains around
Arbuthnot Range."

This speaks volumes for the wonderful increase and spread of wild cattle
in those days; Arbuthnot Range, first sighted by Evans in 1817, being
already an acknowledged resort of wild cattle in seven years. Or it
advertises the negligence of the stockmen who guarded the comparatively
tiny herds of the period.

The dry weather had put its mark upon the country. Though the degree of
aridity was much less than that afterwards experienced in Australia by
the explorers of its interior, nevertheless conditions were sufficiently
dry to compel the leader to exercise great forethought, and Cunningham
determined to pursue a more easterly course, keeping nearer the crest of
the range, where he was more likely to find grass and water. The country
he passed through was inferior, but on the 28th he came to the bank of a
river "presenting a handsome reach, half-a-mile in length, thirty yards
wide, and evidently very deep." This river he named the Dumaresque, and
it led him to the northward, through what he considered poor land, until
the new-found river took an easterly direction, when the party left it,
still keeping north. At the end of the month, after passing through much
scrubby country, they were agreeably surprised to meet with a stream, the
banks of which presented an appearance of great verdure. "It was a
subject of great astonishment to us to meet with so beautiful a sward of
grass permanently watered by an active stream, after traversing that
tract of desert forest, and penetrating brushes the extremes of sterility
in its immediate vicinity."

This was named McIntyre's Brook, and Cunningham writes that they had some
difficulty in fording it on account of its extreme rapidity. The party
continued on, now in a north-easterly direction, passing again through
dense thickets such as they had formerly met with.

On the 5th of June, Cunningham, from a small elevation, had a view of
open country of decidedly favourable appearance: "A hollow in the forest
ridge immediately before us allowed me distinctly to perceive that at a
distance of eight or nine miles, open plains or downs of great extent
appeared to extend easterly to the base of a lofty range of mountains,
lying south and north, distant by estimation about thirty miles."

This was Cunningham's first glimpse of the now world-famous Darling
Downs. On reaching the commencement of the great plains, they came to t