Page:Australia, from Port Macquarie to Moreton Bay.djvu/114

 I was hospitably entertained here by the overseer, whose wife soon placed before me a dish of eggs and bacon, to which I did full justice after my day's ride whilst my horse was recruited with a feed of maize.

April 21st.—It rained hard this morning, when I started after breakfast up the valley of the Manning river. On leaving Brinben I passed over several miles of good grassy undulating forest country, of park-like aspect, and rich soil, and watered by several fine brooks, the largest of which was the Dingo river, a tributary stream of some importance flowing into the Manning, I now crossed some fertile grassy hills, very lightly wooded, and rode past several sheep-stations. Having, at length, entered the brush of the Manning, I crossed over a ford near the Gloucester river, which joins it on the south side. The scenery was very beautiful here. The surrounding ranges of hills were all either very lightly wooded and grassy, or else covered over with brush timber and entangled vegetation. Most of the park-like hills rose in round conical summits, and were probably composed of clay slate; whilst one heavily wooded range, on the south bank of the river, was crowned by huge masses of rock, overgrown with creepers, and resembling the ivy-clothed battlements of some ancient fortress. Some sawyers near here kindly invited me into their hut to take some refreshment; the frying-pan was immediately put in requisition, and they soon placed before me