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Page:Northmost Australia volume 2.djvu/28

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FROM FOSSILBROOK
377

of Springfield. The Lyndbrook Station on the Chillagol-Etheridge Railway is about 4 miles north of the camp.

27th June.—Followed Fossil Brook down for 10 miles NW. through basalt country and camped on the left bank of the brook. Camp 2. The modern Fossilbrook Telegraph, Police and School Reserves are about midway on this day's stage.

28th June.—Leichhardt's Lynd River was met with 6 miles north of Camp 2, opposite the infall of Fossil Brook. It was not found possible to keep close to the Lynd, rough stony ridges forcing a deflexion to the left. After 8 miles on a westward course, Camp 3 was pitched on Haskett's Creek (which appears on the 4-mile map as Fulford Creek).

29th June.—Before a start was made, the party narrowly escaped being burnt out, owing to some carelessness in setting fire to the grass. After 7 miles of very rough travelling N. by W. through stony ridges, the Lynd River was again touched, and {{sc|Camp|| 4 was formed on its left bank.

30th June.—Trying to keep the river in sight, but forced back by stony ridges, the party gained 9 miles to WNW. and formed Camp 5 on the left bank of the Lynd opposite the so-called "Kirchner Range," which was found to be composed of "five or six hills." The first 5 miles of the day's march were over porphyry ridges, and the remaining 4 over mica-schist and granite. The latitude of the camp is given as 17° 22′ S., but, judging from the modern maps, seems to have been about 17° 32′. Hann's Camp 5 was about 3 miles east of Leichhardt's camp of 5th June, 1845.

Four days (1st to 4th July) were spent in the neighbourhood of Camp 5 prospecting for gold, but without success, the invariable "dish " result being "black sand and garnets." It is not impossible that some of the black sand may have been stream tin.

5th July.—The party crossed the Lynd River, here 330 yards wide, near Camp 5, and struck to the north, through the Kirchner Range, over "quartz ridges with open forest and good-looking country for gold." In 9 miles a creek was crossed, which must have been Pinnacle Creek. In 5 miles more {{sc|Camp|| 6 was pitched at a convenient water-hole.

6th July.—In a mile and a half to the north "a large sandy river" was crossed and named the Tate. The Tate falls into the right bank of the Lynd about 20 miles to the west. Four and a half miles further north, the party struck the head of a creek (Nonda Creek) falling to the north, with high sandstone ridges on its left bank. The creek was followed to the north for 6 miles and a camp was made at a native well in the bed of the creek, to which the party were guided by a woman, who carried a child the first ABORIGINALS seen on the journey. Four more were seen later in the day. Camp 7.