Latitude by Vega 16 degrees 59 minutes 38 seconds.

Return to depot camp.

17th April.

Started at 6.25 a.m. and reached Mount Sanford at 7.30, the country passed being sandstone producing triodia and a little grass.  The hill is of basalt with a flat top, but is based on sandstone; its form is nearly a truncated cone 150 feet high and 300 feet in diameter at the top.  Having taken angles to the surrounding hills, we descended and steered south-west and west to the depot camp at 1.0 p.m.  During our absence Dr. Mueller had found full employment in collecting the plants in the vicinity of the camp, and the rest of the party had been fully occupied in the care of the horses and duties of the camp.  I was glad to find that they had not been again molested by the blacks.

18th April.

Preparing maps of the late excursion to the east of the depot; party preparing for the return to principal camp.

19th April.

Party employed as before.

20th April (Sunday).

A fine cool breeze from the south, with thin clouds.

21st April.

Several of the horses had strayed some distance from the camp, and we did not start till 12.30 p.m., when we steered north by west till 5.15 p.m. and camped at a small creek in a deep rocky valley; the country after leaving the basaltic plain was very rocky, the hills composed of schist with a superstratum of red sandstone; grass was abundant in the valley, but the hills produced little but triodia and small gum-trees.

Start for main camp.

22nd April.

At 6.45 a.m. steered east down the creek one mile to its junction with Depot Creek, which was followed north and north-north-east till 8.40.  The back country rose into sandstone hills covered with triodia; but there were good grassy flats on the bank of the creek.  The creek then entered a rocky gorge about 100 yards wide, with cliffs upward of 100 feet high on each side.  With some difficulty we forced our way through the dense growth of reeds and brush, among huge masses of rock and deep pools of water, till 10.10, when we reached a more open part of the valley.  The creek now turned to east-north-east, and the wide valley was bounded by low schist hills to the north and the sandstone range we had just passed to the south; except in the lower part of the valley and a few small patches on the hills the country was very poor and stony, triodia taking the place of the grass; water was abundant in the bed of the creek, where it formed large permanent pools, between which there was a small stream of running water in the upper part of the creek, but lower down the channel was dry between the pools; at 1.0 p.m. camped on the right bank of the creek; crossed to the left bank of the creek at 6.20 p.m. and followed it north-east one hour, when the creek turned east and our course was