Etheridge goldfields until October, 1872, when I loaded for the latter
place, delivering my load towards the end of the year, and just as the
wet season set in. My travelling mate at this time was Billy Wilson, and
he, wishing to return to port, left me in charge of his team. I camped
on the Delaney River, and as there was abundance of grass, the bullocks
gave no trouble. On Wilson's return, we decided to purchase two loads of
stores from Clifton and Aplin's branch store, to take to the Palmer
River rush which had just broken out, owing to William Hann's report on
his exploration through the Peninsula becoming known.

William Hann was a first-class bushman, but it is quite evident he was
very much astray in one portion of the trip, which led to the great gold
discovery. On page 13 of his report, referring to his following up the
Normanby River, he stated he crossed the divide between the Normanby and
Endeavour Rivers, and followed a gully for nine and a-half miles; ...
when it became a considerable creek which he called Oakey Creek, it
being the first place he saw the familiar oaks. Under date 21st
September, 1872, he reports:--"Running this creek down in an easterly
direction, and being compelled to cross it several times until it
junctioned with a large river running north and south"; he adds "this
river was, of course, no other than the Endeavour, of which so much has
been said and heard from time to time." In this assumption he was far
out. Owing to the rough country, Oakey Creek had to be crossed three
times, and while being only one creek its crossings were afterwards
known as Big, Middle and Little Oakey. The creek forms one of the
heads of the Annan River, so named by Dalrymple. This river coming from
the south-east falls into the sea some miles south of Mount Cook, which,
with its spurs, divides it from the estuary of the Endeavour. Although
there was a qualified surveyor in the party, it does not appear that he
put Hann right. I do not mention this with any other desire than to show
what difficulties our early explorers met with.

[Illustration: JOHN MURTAGH MACROSSAN]

The manner in which Hann extricated his party from the terrible rough
country at the heads of the Bloomfield and Daintree Rivers stamps him as
a fine bushman, resourceful and dauntless.

We had a very exciting trip passing Fossilbrook, Mount Surprise, and
Firth's Stations, crossing the Lynd, Tate, Walsh and Mitchell Rivers.
These were all