4.45, when we bivouacked just below the junction of a small gully from
the northwards, with a very remarkable sandstone hill about
three-quarters of a mile south; below this spot the valley trended to the
south-west, and was bounded on the north-west by flat-tapped sandstone
hills.

30th September.

Not being more than ten to fifteen miles from the sea, I steered north
330 degrees east magnetic. Starting at 8.5, and having ascended the high
land, passed through a thick line of wattles and dwarf gum, growing on
the eastern face of the limestone range, which forms the high barren
range along this part of the coast. The country was covered with thick
scrub, and some patches of gum and wattle thicket; about noon it was more
open, and ascending an elevated sandy ridge, saw apparently a high range
of hills extending north-north-west as far as Shark Bay, and terminated
by a very abrupt and detached hill; but the excessive refraction caused
by the heated and nearly level plain which intervened more than doubled
their real height. We descended gradually over a succession of sandy
hills or ridges till 2.0 p.m., when the lowest part of the plain was
reached; we found it occupied by a small patch of spear-wood; the soil
was hard dry clay, but on proceeding a little farther we found a patch of
moist ground, encircled by a ridge of sand; at one foot deep we found
water, but in such small quantity that we could only obtain sufficient
for ourselves, and should have had to wait at least two hours to have
given each horse only one gallon. Proceeding onwards, in hope of finding
a more plentiful supply, we found the country became drier and full of
circular hollows, filled with fine clumps of green wattle and a little
grass; in one of these we bivouacked at 5.0, and dug six feet for water
in red sand, but without any appearance of obtaining it even at double