Wednesday December 11th.

Jemmy and I started to follow up the creek to camp.  At 10.20 made four miles up the creek to where we found just sufficient water to quench the thirst of the horses, and after delaying for that purpose we started again at 10.50 a.m.  At 11.20 made one mile to the best pond of water that we have seen either up or down the creek.  One of the horses was so fagged that we delayed in consequence till 12.35.  At 12.50 made half a mile up the creek to opposite junction (or main) one-eighth of a mile to opposite junction of another creek.  At 2.27 made three miles up the creek to Camp 17, where we were glad to find from Mr. Campbell that he had quite recovered from his illness.

Thursday December 12th.  Camp Number 16.  Situated on Pratt Creek.

At 8.50 made one mile south-west by south up the creek from Number 16 Camp to a waterhole where Fisherman and Jemmy were filling the water-bottles to carry on the packhorse, so as to supply us whilst in search of more water.  At 10.4 made one mile and a quarter, about south to a waterhole up the creek.  At 12 made five miles and three-quarters south-west to one of the branches of the Gregory River, which I have named Elliott Creek, over rich well-grassed plain country.  At 12.10 made one mile south to where Jemmy left us to return to Camp 16.  At 1.24 made two miles south, where we left following up Elliott Creek, despairing of finding water in it.  At 1.35 made half a mile south-west to a tree which Fisherman climbed to look across the plains.  At 6.24 made thirteen miles south-west, which distance on that course took us across the plain near to a large clump of timber.  The grass on the plain is good, with a considerable quantity of saltbush among it, but we were afraid we would not find water in the watercourse we were approaching, we had seen so few birds on the plain.  At 6.43 made one mile south to a clump of trees resembling myall, which I have seen before to the west of Rockhampton.  At 8 made two miles and three-quarters about south down the watercourse in search of water, having stopped for our supper and started again.  At 12 made two miles and a quarter south by west down the watercourse to some young grass, where we camped for the remainder of the night.

Friday December 13th.

In the morning we heard a great number of birds and expected to find water.  At 6.5 a.m. made three-quarters of a mile west in search of water, hearing birds in that direction.  At 6.44 made one mile about south-east back to the creek.  At 8.45 made six miles about south-west down the creek in search of water to the junction of watercourse from the north which I have named Pring Creek.  On the point between the two creeks we marked a tree with a broad arrow before L. At this place we stopped until nine o’clock and in the meantime gave the horses each two quarts of water from the supply we had with us.  At 9.25 made one mile north-north-west up Pring Creek to the