Wrote to Mr. Baines instructing him to take charge of the portion of the
North Australian Expedition proceeding in the Tom Tough to the Albert
River.  Preparing equipment for explorations towards the Gulf of
Carpentaria.

20th June.

Wrote to the Governor-General of Australia, forwarding copies of correspondence with Mr. Wilson.  Wrote to Secretary of State for the Colonies forwarding copies of despatches to the Governor-General.  Wrote to master of Tom Tough schooner, instructing him to proceed to Coepang for supplies, and thence to Albert River.  Wrote to Mr. Baines two letters of instructions; inspected equipment, and fitted the saddles of the party proceeding overland to the Gulf of Carpentaria.  Wrote to Mr. Wilson a letter in reply to his communication of the 18th.

Start for Gulf of carpentaria.

21st June.

At 10.0 a.m. left the principal camp on the Victoria with a party consisting of Messrs. H. Gregory, Elsey, and Dr. Mueller, Robert Bowman, Charles Dean, and J. Melville, seven saddle and twenty-seven pack horses, conveying five months’ provisions of salt pork and meat biscuits, and six months’ supply of flour, tea, sugar, coffee, etc., twenty-six pounds of gunpowder, sixty pounds bullets, 1 hundredweight shot, 5000 caps, etc.  Proceeding up the left bank of the Victoria, crossed the ridge at back of Steep Head, and at 3.15 p.m. camped about three-quarters of a mile above it on the bank of the river.

22nd June (Sunday).

At 7.30 a.m. left the camp and followed the river up for ten miles, and then along a small creek four miles south-south-east; but the country proving very steep and rocky, returned one mile and camped at 3 p.m.

23rd June.

Left the camp at 7.0 a.m., and returned down the valley of the creek to the river, and kept along the bank of the Victoria to the junction of Beagle Creek.  We ascended for five miles, and camped at 11.0, as there was no water between this point and the Victoria at Bynoe Range on the Beagle Valley route, and the distance was too great to be commenced at this late hour of the day.

24th June.

Started at 7.0 a.m., and steered east through an open box forest nearly level and well grassed.  The grass had been burnt off by the blacks, but had shot up to a foot in height.  Passed to the south of the Fitzroy Range; the valley between it and Stokes’ Range similar to Beagle Valley, and about four miles wide.  Keeping close to Stokes’ Range, passed behind some of the detached hills at 4.20 p.m.  Reached our old camp of the 5th May, and found the stores we had left secreted in the rocks undisturbed.

25th June.

Having distributed the stores which had been left here in May among the several pack-horses, at 7.15 a.m. resumed our route up the river, and crossed to the right bank two miles above the creek we intended to ascend, and camped at 11.0.  Marked a large gum-tree Delta V.