der the impression that
he was still on the Mulligan. He was undeceived when he overtook N.
Buchanan with cattle, who was then engaged in re-stocking the stations on
the Herbert that had been abandoned in the commercial depression of 1872
and 1873. This was the last exploring expedition sent out by the
Queensland authorities, the country within the bounds of that colony
being by that time all known.

But across the western border, the vacant and unknown country of South
Australia attracted many private expeditions to examine it in search of
pastoral holdings. Amongst those from Queensland were two brothers named
Prout, who, with one man, went out to look for new grazing lands, and
never returned. Many months afterwards a search party, under W.J.H.
Carr-Boyd, found some of the horses, and then the remains of one of the
brothers. It was evident from the fragments of a diary recovered, that
they had pushed far into the dry region of South Australia, and had met
their deaths from thirst on the return journey. Probably some of the
waters on which they had relied had unexpectedly failed.

In 1878, Nathaniel Buchanan, a veteran pioneer and overlander of
Queensland, made an excursion from the Queensland border to Tennant's
Creek on the overland telegraph line. Starting from the Ranken, a
tributary of the Georgina, Buchanan struck a westerly course, and
discovering the head of a well-watered creek running through fine open
downs, he followed it down to the westward for some days. The creek
eventually ran out into dry flats, so Buchanan struck westward to the
telegraph line, which he reached after some hardship, a little to the
south of Tennant's Creek. The creek which he discovered, and to which
Favenc afterwards gave the name of Buchanan's Creek, was a most important
discovery, affording a practicable stock route to the great pastoral
district lying between the Queensland border and the overland line.

Frank Scarr, a Queensland surveyor, was the next to invade this strip of
still unknown land. He attempted to steer a course south of Buchanan's,
but was turned back by the dry belt of country. On this excursion he also
found two of the horses of the ill-fated Prout brothers. Scarr then made
further north, and, with the assistance of the creek discovered by
Buchanan, was enabled to reach the line. Owing to the severity of the
drought, however, he was unable to extend his researches any further, and
returned safely to Queensland.