to the eyes of the party than here.  Marked tree MK (conjoined) from 28-12-61, to 3-1-62, and started to examine the lakes reported to be south and west.  At six miles arrived on opposite side of where we camped for the last few days, and estimate its circumference at fifteen to sixteen miles, its greatest breadth two miles, its least about 600 yards—­at a promontory that runs into it from the south-east side.  A large creek fills it from south-east, about two and a half to three miles west-south-west from our New Year camp which I have named Hayward, after Frederick Hayward, Esquire, of Aroona, South Australia—­a deep swimmable creek, well timbered, plenty of fish and fowls—­then went southward to Lake Wattygaroony, a fine deep lake which is named Lake Strangways after the Honourable the Commissioner of Crown Lands.  The creek that fills it from the south and east I have called the Alfred.  The lake is quite nine miles in circumference; scant of timber; from the creek round south-west end and side; abundance of feed, etc., from north side of lake and one mile north-westerly of clearing it; our new camp on Lake Hodgkinson bears 71 degrees.  About eight miles; returned to camp same day.

Saturday, January 4.

Camp, Lake Hodgkinson.  Shoeing horses, repairing pack-bags, etc.

Sunday, January 5.

I, with Poole and a black, went out north to see what the country was like.  On bearing 360 degrees over sandhills arrived at and found lake dry; four and a half miles of stones around it, same as in stony desert; went through the middle of it, it sweeps round from north-east to south-west; passed through it where it was two miles broad, it is fed from Lake Goonalcarae (now dry); the lake passed through has not had a supply of water for years apparently; lots of dead mussels and crayfish in its bed.  At two and a half miles further (nine miles in all) over sandhills, changed course to 16 degrees for a large sandhill in the distance, the country to the north being rather low.  At two and a half miles on this course came upon a succession of flooded basins, some of great extent, Gnatowullie, and slightly lined with stunted box, some as high up the sides of the sandhills as forty-five to fifty feet, entirely supplied by the rains but have not had a supply for some time, as there was neither water nor vegetation; which flooded basins continued till I went nine miles on this last course and from the top of the hill could distinctly see the beds of innumerable others of the same kind.  From west round to north-east and east some dark-peaked sandhills, north-east of last course, as far as I could discern with the aid of a glass; turned back on course of 200 degrees to where I saw some shady box trees about two and a half miles, and turned out horses to rest and went to camp direct.  On bearing of 187 degrees at five and a half miles came to the watercourse that supplies the dry lake Marroboothana from Goonalcarae, which I have named the Ellar, and the creek that fills it, in which there is at present water, Ellar’s Creek.