The party consisted of nine persons, namely:  Commander A.C.  Gregory; assistant commander, C.F.  Gregory; assistant, S. Burgoyne; overseer, G. Phibbs; stockmen, etc., R. Bowman, W. Selby, T. Dunn, W. von Wedel, and D. Worrell.  The stock consisted of horses alone, comprising thirty-one pack and nine saddle horses, completely equipped.  Provisions comprised the dried meat of two bullocks and four sheep, weighing, as butcher’s meat, 16 hundredweight; but when dried and the bones removed, reduced to 300 pounds.  In addition to this 500 pounds bacon, 1600 pounds flour, 100 pounds rice, 350 pounds sugar, 60 pounds tea, 40 pounds tobacco, and some minor articles.  The arms and ammunition were:  one minie rifle, eight double-barrel guns, nine revolver pistols, 25 pounds gunpowder, 150 pounds shot and balls, percussion caps, etc.  For the conveyance of water two leather water-bags were provided, each holding five gallons, besides which each of the party was furnished with a water-bag of India-rubber holding three pints.  The tents were made of calico, each suited for the accommodation of two persons, and the several articles of camp equipage were of the lightest construction consistent with the service required.  The instruments employed were an eight-inch sextant, box-sextant, prismatic compasses, pocket compasses, double axis compass, aneroid barometers, thermometers, and artificial horizon, etc.  Including forty sets of horse-shoes, farrier’s and carpenter’s tools, together with sundry material for repairs, etc., the total weight of the equipment was about 4,600 pounds, exclusive of the saddles and harness, which gave an average load of 150 pounds as the net load carried by each pack-horse.

The party start from Juanda station.

24th March to 27th March.

These arrangements being complete, the expedition left Juanda, and proceeded by the road to Mr. Cardew’s station at Euroomba, from which, under the guidance of Mr. Bolton—­whose local knowledge was of material service—­we made our way through the dense scrubs and broken country to the west for about thirty miles, to the head of Scott’s Creek, a small tributary of the Dawson River.

29th March.

The general course was now west-north-west through a country with rich grassy valleys and dense scrubs of brigalow acacia on the higher ground.  Green grass was abundant at this time; but I fear that in seasons of drought few of the waterholes are permanent; the timber consists of ironbark, box, and a few other species of eucalyptus—­the brigalow acacia attaining the height of thirty feet; soft brown sandstones of the coal measures are the prevailing rock, forming hills with table summits.

2nd April.

With some difficulty, owing to the dense scrubs, we crossed the basaltic ridge which divides the eastern waters flowing to the Dawson River from those trending to the west into the basin of the Maranoa River, a tributary of which—­probably the Merivale River—­was followed westward.  The country became more sandy, timbered with ironbark, cypress, etc.  The whole was, however, well grassed, and suited for grazing, if not too heavily stocked.