ed themselves in the
distance, and I was enabled to connect this point with "Coonbaralba," the
hill above the camp. The ridge I had directed Flood to cross was
connected with this hill, and appeared to create a division of the waters
thereabouts. All however to the north or northwest was as yet confused.
There was no visible termination of the ranges in any direction, nor
could we see any feature to guide us in our movements.

The rock formation of this hill was a fine grained granite, and was in
appearance a round and prominent feature. Although its sides were covered
with low dark brush, there was a considerable quantity of oat-grass in
its deep and sheltered valleys. We soon struck on Flood's track after
leaving this hill, which, as Lewis had been the first to ascend, I called
"Lewis's Hill;" and riding up the valley along which the men had already
passed, at six miles crossed the ridge, which (as we had been led to
hope) proved to be the range dividing the eastern and western waters. On
our descent from this ridge we proceeded to the north-west, but changed
our course to north in following the cart tracks, and at four miles
overtook Flood and Morgan on the banks of a creek, the channel of which,
and the broad and better grassed valley through which it runs, we
ourselves had several times crossed on our way down, and from the first
had hoped to find it the main creek on the west side of the ranges.

At the point where we overtook Flood it had increased greatly in size,
but we searched its hopeless bed in vain for water, and as it there
turned too much to the eastward, for which reason Flood had stopped until
we should come up, we left it and crossed the low part of a range to our
left; but as we were going too much to the south-west, I turned shortly
afterwards into a valley that led me more in the direction in which I was
anxious to proceed. The country had been gradually improving from the
time we crossed the little dividing range, not so much in soil as in
appearance, and in the quality of its herbage. There was a good deal of
grass in the valleys, and up the sides of the hills, which were clear and
open on the slopes but stony on their summits. After proceeding about two
and a half miles, we got into a scrubby part of the hills, through which
we found it difficult to push our way, the scrub being eucalyptus dumosa,
an unusual tree to find in those hills. After forcing through the scrub
for about half a mile, we w