I beg to remain, Sir,

Your most obedient servant,

John MCKINLAY,

Leader of the S.A.B.R.  Expedition.

* * *

Monday, December 9.

Started at 7.25 a.m.; followed creek down and passed Goonaboorroo waterhole; passed flooded cracked flats and sandhills to Molanny Creek.  Distance travelled today seventeen miles.

Tuesday, December 10.

Started and crossed creek at 7.30 a.m., over sandhills, then through bed of large dry lake or swamp; name of swamp Wando Binannie; a good deal cracked and bad travelling.  From thence through low sandhills, flooded box flats, steep sandhills; crossed Narro Dhaerrie swamp; crossed creek at east end of main water; this drying up fast.  Crossed creek twice and camped on south side of lower end of Tac Welter.

Wednesday, December 11.

Started at 6.30; crossed creek and flat; over sandhills and flooded flat with large saltbush and polygonum; timber to the right and some samphire bushes; crossed my old single track, with alternate sandhills and cracked flooded flats, and arrived at our depot camp on Lake Buchanan at 11 a.m.  Distance about nineteen miles.

Thursday, December 12.

Remain in camp; temperature at sunrise 68 degrees; wind east; 11.30 a.m., temperature 165 degrees in the sun out of the wind; very hot indeed and wind north-east; dead calm at 6 p.m.; temperature 100 degrees; sun overcast; temperature at sunset thermometer exposed to sun and wind 90 degrees.

Friday, December 13.

Dead calm at sunrise; temperature 64 degrees; at 7 a.m. wind north-east temperature 102 degrees; at 9.15 wind north temperature 150 degrees in the sun and out of the wind; at 10.30 temperature 158 degrees; at noon hot; wind west; temperature 138 degrees; sunset light breeze from south-west; temperature 95 degrees.

Saturday, December 14.

Started at 7.45 a.m.; crossed sandhills and timbered flat and creek running north about 200 yards wide; passed end of very stunted box-tree flat running parallel to our course and camped on creek with little water.

Sunday, December 15.

Started at 8.8 a.m.; passed through long dry grass with scrubby box; then flooded box flats to Paul Cooroogannie and reached depot at 6.5 p.m.  It blew quite a gale of wind during the day from south-south-west with dust and a few drops of rain.

Monday, December 16.

Wind changed to east (strong); temperature at 7 a.m. 65 degrees; wind moderated during the day.  Making ready to start tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 17.