r by north on
the round by west and south, passing my old depot, Lake Buchanan. On
second thoughts I have moved camp to a better place on this lake, north,
on the opposite side, where there is better shade, and the glare of the
sun less injurious to the eyes of the party than here. Marked tree MK
(conjoined) from 28-12-61, to 3-1-62, and started to examine the lakes
reported to be south and west. At six miles arrived on opposite side of
where we camped for the last few days, and estimate its circumference at
fifteen to sixteen miles, its greatest breadth two miles, its least about
600 yards--at a promontory that runs into it from the south-east side. A
large creek fills it from south-east, about two and a half to three miles
west-south-west from our New Year camp which I have named Hayward, after
Frederick Hayward, Esquire, of Aroona, South Australia--a deep swimmable
creek, well timbered, plenty of fish and fowls--then went southward to
Lake Wattygaroony, a fine deep lake which is named Lake Strangways after
the Honourable the Commissioner of Crown Lands. The creek that fills it
from the south and east I have called the Alfred. The lake is quite nine
miles in circumference; scant of timber; from the creek round south-west
end and side; abundance of feed, etc., from north side of lake and one
mile north-westerly of clearing it; our new camp on Lake Hodgkinson bears
71 degrees. About eight miles; returned to camp same day.

Saturday, January 4.

Camp, Lake Hodgkinson. Shoeing horses, repairing pack-bags, etc.

Sunday, January 5.

I, with Poole and a black, went out north to see what the country was
like. On bearing 360 degrees over sandhills arrived at and found lake
dry; four and a half miles of stones around it, same as in stony desert;
went through the middle of it, it sweeps round from north-east to
south-west; passed through it where it was two miles broad, it is fed
from Lake Goonalcarae (now dry); the lake passed through has not had a
supply of water for years apparently; lots of dead mussels and crayfish
in its bed. At two and a half miles further (nine miles in all) over
sandhills, changed course to 16 degrees for a large sandhill in the
distance, the country to the north being rather low. At two and a half
miles on this course came upon a succession of flooded basins, some of
great extent, Gnatowullie, and slightly lined with stunted box, some as
high up the sides of the sandhills as forty-five to fifty feet