considerable ranges from north-north-east to south-south-west; at the latter point they suddenly terminate in nearly precipitous bluffs, showing that there must be a stream of some importance skirting that end of them, or some extensive valley; an easy way of arriving at them would be south from this camp and over the low dividing ridge; the waters or creeks in this valley, after uniting into one or more large courses, flow to north and east till they pass east of this a few miles off; further view is intercepted by the ranges north and east of that.  Maitland appears much better today and Kirby I think is improving a little; Palmer is not quite so well.  I hope he will soon get over his illness; he is a very useful man; neither shoeing horses nor almost anything comes wrong to him; indeed he has shod all the horses I may say since he joined the party, and has been a very useful fellow.

Friday, July 4.

Camp 27, Jack’s Swamp.  Very cold during the night.  Every appearance of a nice day.  What little wind there is is from north.  We start from this with 46 pounds of dried horse flesh which I hope will be sufficient to carry us to stations on the Burdekin.  The invalids and animals have improved during their stay here, and we start this morning on about our last bearing generally, although we cannot go direct from the hilliness of the country.  Bearing 62 1/2 degrees.  All round this quarter quartz of colours is strewed over the face of the country in addition to the decomposing stones.  Started at 8.6 a.m. firstly up the swamp side northerly a short distance, then easterly over a saddle in the range for the eastern slopes towards the main drainage to the northwards.  At half a mile on top of the saddle in the range with drainage to the east.  Then had to keep a little northerly of our course to avoid a rugged range on the right.  At about eleven miles direct struck the main drainage creek (Ross’s Creek after W. Ross, Esquire, Mulma, Murray, New South Wales) but the actual distance travelled was considerably over that.  Then followed the creek on a bearing of about 20 degrees off and on.  At one and a quarter miles it receives a considerable tributary from west-south-west (Cole’s Creek after S. Cole, Esquire, Commissioner of Crown Lands, Euston, New South Wales).  A large mass of hard dark-coloured, slaty-coloured rock in the centre of the two creeks with a passage on each side.  At four miles it receives a very deep but narrow creek from the west (Beveridge’s Creek after Peter Beveridge, Esquire, Swan Hill, Victoria).  Obliged to get into the main creek to pass it.  Plenty of water and feed.  Camped.  A splendid creeper (scarlet) is here upon a number of trees, climbing to their very top.  The fruit is very showy, oblong and quite the size of an orange but tastes exceedingly nauseous, full of pulpy seeds, birds and opossums eat them.  After getting to camp went to top of a high range at three-quarter mile distant east-south-east.  From it I had an extensive view.  At 40 degrees easy to pass through range.  From 82 to 90 degrees very mountainous. 5 degrees a very extensive valley apparently inclining westwards.  Blacks burning at 10 degrees in the distance.  North is a large irregular peak range; in the distance another a little east of it.