the east. On the 7th May Mr. H. W. Lefroy, Mr. Robertson, Mounted-Constable Thos. Edwards, and Frank Hall, pursued a course north of the route of the Dempster Brothers and Clarkson in 1862. At this time Mr. C. Smith possessed a station about 100 miles east of York, whither Mr. Lefroy's party first went. Before the explorers returned to York on 31st July they had travelled about 900 miles. The young grass, while fairly plentiful, lacked nutriment at that time of year, and three horses were abandoned; the men were compelled to walk most of the distance covered. From Mount Welcome they proceeded E.N.E., keeping generally between 30° 20' and 32° south latitude, to longitude 122° 40' east. It will be seen that Mr. Lefroy must have penetrated a great distance eastward. Lake Lefroy, south of Kalgoorlie, was discovered. Unfortunately, we have not the advantage of possessing a list of features he named in these important areas. He formed a high opinion of the country, believing it to be suitable for both agricultural and pastoral purposes, and he reported that the farther away he went the better became the land. Indeed, he predicted that the eastern portions of the district traversed would eventually be the chief grain-producing regions of Australia. A great drawback existed in the absence of permanent surface water, and of brooks, rivers, or gullies in which water might be conserved.
Then come the journeys which led to the opening up of the Esperance Bay district. News was received in Perth that South Australian parties intended searching for good land along the south coast, east of King George's Sound; and, indeed, that two parties were there in 1863, one of whom landed from the schooner Daphne in Thistle Cove, sixty miles west of Cape Arid. The latter party desired to proceed overland to South Australia, but in July its members abandoned the attempt, not before, however, inspecting country suitable for settlement. While the South Australians were so engaged a Western Australian band—C. E. Andrew and William Dempster—went along the coast. This was organised by the enterprising Mr. Padbury, and by Mr. Larnach, a Victorian. The Dempsters left Albany by ship, with horses on board, on 26th April, and proceeded to Point Malcolm, east of Esperance Bay. Messrs. Larnach and Maxwell followed a few days later in the coaster Amelia. An attempt was made to push into the interior, but after going a short distance the travellers had to turn back for water. Then they held to the coast as far as Point Culver, digging wells three or four feet deep in the sand to water the horses. From Point Culver they steered due north, but an immense plain, containing not the slightest sign of moisture, compelled them to put back to Point Malcolm. The country traversed so far was scrubby and desolate; there were few patches of grass.
Mr. Larnach returned to Albany, but the Dempster Brothers proceeded to Northam by land. After an abortive effort to go inland from Mount Ragged, they held to the Coast until a better opportunity occurred to strike a north-westerly course. They passed over limited areas of good pastoral land about Esperance Bay, and on the 21st August arrived at Northam.
All this eastern country was open to selection under the liberal regulations which came into operation in January, 1863, the eastern district under which comprised those lands between longitudes 121° and 129° east and latitude 30° south to the south coast. The Messrs. Dempster Brothers almost immediately applied for, and were allotted, a large area of country adjoining Esperance Bay, which had for its eastern boundary the east point of the bay. In December, 1863, four runs, representing 304,000 acres, were selected in the eastern district.
The Dempster Brothers lost no time in stocking their new property, and travelled 518 sheep, 80 cattle, and 19 horses overland to Esperance. The long journey was made with conspicuous success. The enterprising brothers were well suited to become pioneers of this district. With a different temperature, and being nearer to a settled district, their difficulties were, perhaps, not so great as those of north-west settlers, but yet they experienced numerous rebuffs. If anything, they were for some time more isolated, and the risks to be taken were equally serious. In 1866 the Dempster Brothers imported to Esperance sheep from South Australia.
In February, 1864, Mr. Larnach applied to the Government on behalf of himself and associates, whom, he said, were persons of great wealth in Victoria, for a selection of 100,000 acres at Israelite Bay and Point Malcolm. He engaged to immediately stock the land with 5,000 sheep. He also asked for the exclusive privilege of exploring 300 miles north and east of Cape Pasley, for the purpose of taking up within eighteen months blocks of 1,000,000 acres for a term of twelve years. He guaranteed to stock such selections with sheep, horses, and cattle to the full grazing capacity, and applied for the right of pre-emption in fee-simple for such portions as he and his partners might choose during the twelve years, at 10s. per acre, in blocks of not less than 1,000 acres. At the same time he asked for concessions, already mentioned, in the north-west. The Governor replied that he had no power to go beyond the already liberal land regulations, and therefore could not comply with those requests not in accordance with them. Mr. Larnach's scheme was supported by a memorial addressed to the Secretary for the Colonies, the Duke of Newcastle, who refused to grant any concessions.
The Dempsters continued, practically, to be the only settlers in the south-eastern district for numbers of years. In 1867 they surrendered their runs at Esperance, and selected another area of 100,000 acres in the same district. In 1868 there were 5,000 sheep, 150 cattle, twenty horses, and twenty-four pigs in the southeast.
After Mr. Lefroy's and the Dempster Brothers' trips into the interior and the south-east, exploration by settlers, and semi-official parties, by no means stopped, and further eastern country, which has only recently become populated, was discovered. Mr. John Cowan, and the native, Kowitch, in October, 1863, went out for 160 miles along Mr. Lefroy's track, and found grass two or three feet high near several bald hills; a fact which attracted pastoralists. In February, 1864 Mr. B. Clarkson made a lonely journey ninety miles east of Northam, and selected an area where grass was good and water abundant. Messrs. C. C. Hunt, R. D. Hardey, and Robinson left York in March, 1864, and proceeded for 180 miles E.N.E. in latitude 31° on a slightly different route from that of the Dempster, Clarkson, and Harper party in 1861. The feed on this occasion was very scant, and one horse died of exhaustion. The party reported that available water was to be found along the whole route at distances of about seventeen miles apart.
A few weeks later Messrs. Clarkson, Harper, and Lukin entered the eastern country to more carefully determine whether it was advisable to establish remote runs. They kept north of the 1861 track, but after being out two months they returned on 26th August, disappointed, so far as the discovery of pastoral land was concerned. On the outward way portions of the 1861 route were crossed, and though then fairly grassed were now barren, suggesting, in truth, that there had been no rainfall during the intervening period. Here and there under some bush or fallen tree there was a tuft of grass; elsewhere the country was bare and parched. They explored a range north by east of Mount Kennedy, and from the top of Mount Barker viewed a typical interior panorama—low stony
