Page:Tracks of McKinlay and party across Australia.djvu/246

 5th. Mr. McKinlay took a ride out to the north to-day, accompanied by Poole and black fellows. He returned in the evening.

The following is an extract from his journal of this excursion:—

"Jan. 4th. Camp, Lake Hodgkinson. Shoeing horses, repairing pack-bags, etc.

"Sunday, 5th. I, with Poole and a black, went out north to see what the country was like. On bearing 360°, over sand hills, arrived at and found lake dry; four and a half miles of stones around it, same as in Stony Desert; went through the middle of it, it sweeps round from north-east to south-west; passed through it where it was two miles broad, it is fed from Lake Goonalcarae (now dry); the lake passed through has not had a supply of water for years apparently; lots of dead mussels and crayfish in its bed. At two and a half miles further (nine miles in all), over sand hills, changed course to 16° for a large sand hill in the distance, the country to the north being rather low. At two and a half miles on this course came upon a succession of flooded basins, some of great extent, Gnatowullie, and slightly lined with stunted box, some as high up the sides of the sand hills as forty-five to fifty feet, entirely supplied by the rains, but have not had a supply for some time, as there was neither water nor vegetation; which flooded basins continued till I went nine miles on this last course, and from the top of the hill could distinctly see the "beds of innumerable others of the same kind. From west round to north-east and east some dark-peaked sand hills, north-east of last course, as far as I could discern with the aid of a glass; turned back on course of 200° to where I saw some shady box trees about two and a half miles, and turned out horses to rest, and went to camp direct. On bearing of 187° at five and a half miles, came to the water-course that supplies the dry lake Marroboothana from Goonalcarae, which I have named the Ellar, and the creek that fills it, in which there is at present water, Ellar's Creek."