Thursday, January 9.

Camp, Lake Blanche, between the two lakes, where one would imagine the breeze from such a body of water would render the air cool, but the heat is almost intolerable.  Wind from east-north-east to east-south-east blew quite a gale in the night, levelling tents, etc., to the earth, accompanied with a good deal of thunder and lightning and slight spitting of rain for a few minutes, when it ceased.  The gale kept on for two and a half hours and gradually died away.

Friday, January 10.

Camp, Lake Blanche.  One would suppose that after so much thunder and lightning the air would be more pure and cool, but nothing of the kind was apparent, nothing but intense heat, prostrating all the animals.  Horses and sheep taking refuge from the intense rays of the sun round and under such bushes or trees they could get till the cool of the evening.  Wind light easterly.  I sincerely wish we had a change of the weather, warmer it cannot get, so that the change must be for the better, and enable us to be doing something.  This is far from the most agreeable position for a camp for, although we have any quantity of water, we have no shade, and the glare reflected from the low light-coloured sandhills and flats is very trying to the eyes; even the natives who are a numerous body here (150 to 200) scarcely stir out, except morning and evening for fishing, fish being their chief sustenance with addo, Burke’s nardoo.

Saturday, January 11.

Sun rose red as a ball of fire.  We had a magnificent sunset last night; wind chopping all round the compass; intense heat; fleecy clouds.

Sunday, January 12.

Camp, Lake Blanche.  Before daylight a considerable deal of thunder and lightning.  Squally but passed off without any rain.  Cloudy during the day.  Wind from all quarters, heat intense, and sultry towards evening, threatened much for rain; wind from east to north-east, accompanied with thunder and lightning.  I sincerely trust that we may have a good fall of it, if it comes at all.  Rain all blew past and wind chopping in all directions.

Monday, January 13.

Wind from all quarters but rather more cool than for the last few days.  If nothing particular occurs before tomorrow morning will make a start out eastward for fifty or sixty miles to see what sort of country it is, and if there is any main creek running north up through it.  It is very calm towards evening with heavy clouds all round the horizon.

Tuesday, January 14.

Eastward today over undulations, sandhills, claypans, and flats for nineteen miles till we reached a very prominent high hill which I have called Mount Wylde.  A considerable range is visible to east and south of east.  Went on for seven miles further over sand ridges covered with spinifex, successive box-covered flooded flats, formed by heavy rains, through which were innumerable small creeks no doubt in heavy rains