Wind in the morning from the west;
light clouds passing rapidly from that quarter.
Messrs. Hodgson and Roper, following the chain of ponds on which we had
encamped, came to a large creek, with high rocky banks and a broad stream
flowing to the south-west. We passed an Acacia scrub, and stretches of
fine open Ironbark forest, interspersed with thickets of an aborescent
species of Acacia, for about four miles in a north-west course, when we
found ourselves on the margin of a considerable valley full of Bricklow
scrub; we were on flat-topped ridges, about 80 to 100 feet above the
level of the valley. After several attempts to cross, we had to turn to
the N. N. E. and east, in order to head it, travelling through a most
beautiful open Ironbark forest, with the grass in full seed, from three
to four feet high. Following a hollow, in which the fall of the country
was indicated by the grass bent by the run of water after heavy showers
of rain, we came to fine water-holes, about five miles from our last
camp.
At the other side of the valley, we saw distant ranges to the north-west
and northward. The scrub was occasionally more open, and fine large
bottle-trees (Sterculia) were frequent: the young wood of which,
containing a great quantity of starch between its woody fibres, was
frequently chewed by our party. Fusanus was abundant and in full bearing;
its fruit (of the size of a small apple), when entirely ripe and dropped
from the tree, furnished a very agreeable repast:
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