Round the foot of these hills, extending to the lagoon, is a fine little plain of grass, saltbush, and numerous low shrubs, all excellent feed for stock.  Mounts Allott and Worsnop are certainly remarkable hills, perhaps 200 feet above the surrounding country, quite flat on the top, which is covered with scrub.  From the latter the lagoon is visible, one mile distant on bearing 150 degrees.  Our camp at the lagoon was in lat. 26 degrees 10 minutes, long. 124 degrees 48 minutes.  This reckoning placed Alexander Spring in a position agreeing very closely with that given it by Forrest, which was very gratifying to me.  This water was marked by Forrest as “permanent.”  He says in his journal:  “July 13th . . .  Fine water at this place.  I have no doubt water is always here.  I named it Alexander Spring after my brother, who discovered it.  Abundance of water also in rock-holes.”  This was in 1874.  Since that date this spot has been revisited, first and not long after Forrest, by W. W. Mills, who was commissioned to bring over a mob of camels from South Australia.  He followed Forrest’s track from water to water, at first with no difficulty; depending on Alexander Spring, he made a longish dry stage, reached the spring only to find it dry, and had a bad time in consequence.  The second party to follow Forrest’s route was that of Carr-Boyd in 1896, whom Breaden accompanied, and who was prospecting for an Adelaide syndicate.  They passed by this spot, but having plenty of water, as it was raining at the time, did not visit the spring.  From Mount Worsnop, Woodhouse, one of the party, sighted the lagoon; but neither he nor any of the party had troubled to see whether it was salt or fresh, or of what extent it was.  I have named it after Woodhouse, who first saw it.  Breaden had told me of the fact of his having seen it, but I had supposed that, as rain was falling, Woodhouse was only looking on a shallow pool that could by no possibility hold water for long.

Shortly after Carr-Boyd, there followed Hubbe’s party.  He was sent out by the South Australian Government to follow Forrest’s route, to ascertain its suitability or otherwise for a stock route.  Hubbe found the spring dry, or practically so, and was much disappointed.  He did not happen to find the lagoon, and had a long stage before he found water.  His party arrived at Menzies shortly before we started.  I was unable to get any information from him beyond the opinion that the country was worthless and a stock route impracticable.  I put more faith, however, in Breaden, whose life has been spent amongst stock and travelling cattle.  When with Carr-Boyd he came to the conclusion that as far as the Warburton Range cattle could be taken without much trouble; and indeed in 1873, so I have read, Gosse drove some bullocks as far as that point, which was the furthest west he penetrated when attempting to cross the Colony.