Wednesday May 28.  Bananka, Warrego River, New South Wales.

From Wooroorooka we followed the road down the river for about twelve miles and reached a station occupied by the sheep of the Bogan River Company.  Our path was over slightly wooded plains, the soil rich and covered with the best grasses.  The grass, from the dry season, was so parched that it looked in its present state almost worthless, but the fine condition of the sheep showed it to be still first-rate pasturage.

May 29.  Eringa, Warrego River, New South Wales, Con’s Old Station.

Our path today took us down the left bank of the river, a distance said to be twenty-eight miles, which we travelled in six and a half hours.  The country we saw is similar to all the country on the river.  From the point of the river where it is unconfined by ridges it flows in several channels.

Sunday June 2.  Bunnawanah, Darling River.

Last Friday and Saturday were spent in travelling to here from the Warrego River.  The distance from Eringa to here is called seventy miles.  About eight miles before we reached here we passed the station of Messrs. Collis on Culgoa River.  The country we saw between here and the Warrego River is level, covered with saltbush and grass.  It resembles some country I have seen near Hay on the Murrumbidgee River.  From the newspapers yesterday we learned that Mr. Walker’s party had arrived in April at Port Denison, and learned that Mr. Howitt had received instructions to remain on Cooper’s Creek for our arrival.  Of course if I had known there was a depot there I should have gone to it from the Thomson River; and now I think it will be advisable to proceed to Menindie and there take the most advisable mode of letting Howitt know of our safe return from the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Wednesday June 5.  Bunnawanah, Darling River.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and today we remained here to recruit the horses.  Mr. Rutherford, one of the proprietors of the neighbouring station, kindly supplied us with what stores we required at a lower rate than is charged anywhere; and at the station of Mr. T. Danger we got as much beef as we required for the road en route to Menindie.

...

Notes.

Excoecaria:  A good-sized bush or small tree occupying the low depressions above the saline alluvial ground on the Gulf of Carpentaria.  It is milk-flowing but poisonous.

Erythrina:  or coral tree.

Pigweed:  Portulaca, or the native purslane, a creeping annual of a reddish-green colour and an excellent vegetable.

Triodia:  Sometimes called spinifex, or porcupine grass, is a true desert plant, and at the end of each leaf it is so armed with short prickles that horses dread going through it, and stock never touch it except when it is very young or they are starving.

Gidya:  A native name; the botanical name cannot be given without a specimen.