more extensive than we had anticipated. They stretch away far to
the north and north-north-west, and although we kept well out to
the north-west we were unable to avoid the low stony rises which
adjoin them.

On the north-west side of the hills we crossed two dry creeks which
flow in a north-north-easterly direction; their banks are thinly
lined with box trees, and the holes in them were quite dry. From
this we took a west-north-westerly course, across an undulating
country covered with sandstone, quartz, and (magnetic) ironstone
pebbles, so densely and firmly set together in some places as to
have the appearance of an old-fashioned pavement. At about three
miles, we had to change our course to north-west, to avoid a spur
of the high range on our left. At two miles further we came to a
grassy flat through which ran a fine-looking creek, but the bed was
sandy and quite dry; there were, however, a good many small birds
about here, which would indicate that there must be water in the
neighbourhood. We here again changed our course to west-north-west,
and at six miles camped at a dry stony creek, having travelled
about eight-and-twenty miles over the worst ground that we had
yet met with. On the morning of the 10th we continued on a
west-north-westerly course, across stony ground of the same nature
as that passed during the previous day; but at a distance of five
miles we turned to west quarter south, as the ranges appeared to be
as low in that direction as in the other; and as they ran nearly
north-north-west there seemed a chance of sooner getting out of
them, which we did at a distance of about eight miles more.

From the point at which we emerged from these ranges the view was
as follows:--From south-west nearly up to north-west were extensive