About 5.45 resumed our journey up the river, passing through wide grassy flats and over a sandstone ridge which was covered with triodia; from this ridge there was an extensive view of the country to the south and east, but no hills of greater elevation than the sandstone tableland were visible, and for twenty miles the valley of the river expanded into a wide plain thinly timbered with box-trees.  Continuing a south-south-east course through a fine grassy country till 10.0, halted in a patch of green grass.  The elevation of this part of the valley of the Victoria is not great, as the barometer stood at 29.77 forty feet above the river; thermometer, 101 degrees.  The soil on the bank of the river is good and well-grassed, but the inundations during the rainy season extend on each side of the river several miles.  The strata of the sandstone, where exposed, dip to the north, but there is no alteration in the character of the rocks.  Abundance of portulaca grew near our halting place, and furnished us with an agreeable vegetable; this plant was afterwards found over the whole of Northern Australia, and proved a very valuable article of food.  At 3.20 continued our route, and at 5.30 bivouacked at a small pool of rainwater in one of the back channels of the river, the banks of which were inconveniently covered with high reeds.  During the night there was continuous light rain till 4.0 a.m.

Abundance of fish.

5th December.

Continued our route up the river to the south-south-west from 5.45 a.m. till 10.45, passing through open grassy box flats; a low grassy range approached the right bank and again receded; to the west a range of broken hills rose to 500 feet parallel to our course and five miles distant.  Halted in the bed of the river, which formed fine reaches of water, with dry sand-bars between; caught several catfish and perch; mussels were abundant, the form of the shell much longer than I have before seen in the other parts of the river.  At noon:  Barometer, 29.80; thermometer, 104 degrees; at 3.0 p.m.:  Barometer, 29.65; thermometer, 93 degrees.  At 3.30 steered south from the right bank of the river, which turned to the westward; crossed some fine grassy country thinly timbered with box, and at 4.50 came to the southern branch of the river.  This branch trended to the north-east, and consequently joins at a point lower down than where we crossed, the junction not having been observed.  These two branches of the Victoria are so nearly equal in apparent size that it will remain for future examination to determine which is to be considered the tributary.  Crossing to the right bank, we followed it upwards along the foot of the high land for half an hour, and encamped in the bed of the river.

Latitude by meridian altitude of Achernar 16 degrees 26 minutes.

Return down the Victoria.

6th December.