Kangaroos and wallabies are very frequent; several brush turkeys
were seen, and the partridge and bronze-winged pigeons are very
plentiful. Our latitude was 23 degrees 51 minutes.

Jan. 9.--In travelling down to the water-hole, where we had met the
Blackfellow and his family, we kept a little too much to the westward, in
hope of finding a more open country; instead, however, of an improvement,
we encountered sandy hills covered with a dense low scrub and
cypress-pine. The latter almost invariably grows on the slight sandstone
elevations in a scrubby country. After surmounting many difficulties, we
came upon a broad scrub creek, in the dry bed of which we travelled down
to Comet Creek, which we followed, and at last reached our intended
camping place. Our cattle and luggage had suffered severely, and we
devoted the next day to sundry repairs. The weather was very hot: the
night clear. Our latitude was 23 degrees 41 minutes 14 seconds.

Jan. 10.--To prevent unnecessary loss of time by my reconnoitring
excursions, and to render them less fatiguing to myself, I arranged that
both the blacks should go with me, in order that I might send one back
from the first favourable camping place, to bring the party on, whilst I
continued to explore the country with the other. Under this arrangement,
therefore, I went forward, and, following the creek, it was found to
sweep to the eastward, round a high plain of rich black soil, and covered
with luxuriant vegetation. This plain is basaltic, but, in the valley of
the creek, sandstone crops out below it. The slopes from the plain to the
creek are steep, and torn by deep gullies, which made travelling very
fatiguing. As the creek again turned to the west and north-west, the
water-holes increased both in size and number, although the flats within
the valley were limited and intersected by watercourses. I sent Charley
back when we were about seven miles N.W. by N. from our camp, and
proceeded with Brown down the creek, which, at about four miles farther,
to my inexpressible delight, joined a river coming from the west and
north-west, and flowing to the east and north-east. It was not, however,
running, but formed a chain of small lakes, from two to three and even
eight miles in length, and frequently from fifty to one hundred yards
broad, offering to our view the finest succession of large sheets of
water we had seen since leaving the Brisbane. Its course continued
through a very deep and w