(Here follow the signatures of myself and party.)

As this bay has not been named, I have taken this opportunity of naming it “Chambers Bay,” in honour of Miss Chambers, who kindly presented me with the flag which I have planted this day, and I hope this may be the first sign of the dawn of approaching civilization.

Exactly this day nine months the party left North Adelaide.  Before leaving, between the hours of eleven and twelve o’clock, they had lunch at Mr. Chambers’ house; John Bentham Neals, Esq., being present, proposed success to me, and wished I might plant the flag on the north-west coast.  At the same hour of the day, nine months after, the nag was raised on the shores of Chambers Bay, Van Diemen Gulf. (On the bark of the tree on which the flag is placed is cut—­DIG ONE FOOT, S.) We then bade farewell to the Indian Ocean, and returned to Charles Creek, where we had again great difficulty in getting the horses across, but it was at last accomplished without accident.  We have passed numerous and recent tracks of natives to-day; they are still burning the country at some distance from the coast.

[Note. The memorandum left by Stuart on top of the Central Mountain runs as follows:]

John McDouall Stuart and party consisting of two men and himself arrived from Adelaide in the Centre of Australia on Saturday evening the twenty first day of April 1860, and have built this cone of stones and raised this flag to commemorate the event, on top of Mount Sturt; the centre is about two miles South South West at a small gum creek where there is a tree marked facing the south.

(Signed) JOHN MCDOUALL STUART (Leader)
WILLIAM DARTON KEKWICK
BENJAMIN HEAD.

21st April 1860,

Centre of Australia.

The name of the Central Mountain appears in the published journal as Stuart.  This is probably due to a mistake of the publisher’s, which remained uncorrected, as Stuart was very ill when his journal was printed.

FROM WEST TO EAST. I. ALONG THE BIGHT

+Source.+—­Explorations in Australia (John Forrest, 1875), pp. 83-94, 107-114, 121-135.

     In 1870 Forrest set out to explore the country along the Bight.  It
     had previously been considered desert land, but the expedition
     discovered valuable country behind the cliffs.

We started from Perth on the afternoon of Wednesday, the 30th of March 1870.  His Excellency the Governor accompanied us for about three miles on the Albany Road.  We had fifteen horses, and provisions sufficient for the journey to Esperance Bay, a distance of about 450 miles, where it was arranged further supplies would await us.

May 18th. Esperance Bay.  After starting the party went in advance with Billy to prepare camp at Israelite Bay.  When we reached it, were delighted to find the Adur lying safely at anchor there; proceeding on board found all well.  Procured abundance of water by digging one foot deep in the sand-hills, and good feed a short distance from camp.