NATIVES OF TARRAY.  THEIR DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY.

July 7.

The party moved to the creek where I had before seen the natives; and Piper found at their fires an old woman and several boys.  They said, pointing far to the south-east, doubtless to Port Phillip, that a station of whitefellows was there and that they had been themselves to the sea, which was not very distant.  The old woman spoke with expressive gestures of a part of the coast she called Cadong, where the waves raged; and of a river she named Woollamaee running into it.  It appeared that the rest of the tribe were at that time in search of opossums; but she promised that when they returned in the evening or next day some of them should visit our camp.

July 8.

This morning Piper prevailed on an old man with his gins and some boys to come to us.  The former pointed towards Cadong in the direction of 232 degrees from North and, in reply to my queries through Piper, said it was not Geelong (Port Phillip) but a water like it; and that no white men had ever been there.  On mentioning lake Alexandrina by its native name Keyinga, he said that it was a place filled sometimes with rain (i.e. river-) water and not like Cadong which was saltwater.  He described the whole country before us as abounding in good water and excellent grass; and he said that in the direction I was pursuing there was no impediment between me and the sea coast.  Piper’s countenance brightened up with the good news this man gave him; assuring me that we should “find water all about:  no more want water.”  In return for all this intelligence I presented the old man with an iron tomahawk which he placed under him as he sat; and he continued to address me with great volubility for some time.  I was told by Piper that he was merely saying how glad he was, and enumerating (apparently with a sort of poetic fervour) the various uses to which he could apply the axe I had given him.  I left these natives with the impression on my mind that they were quiet, well-disposed people.

FINE APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY.

Proceeding a little west of south-west we intersected this creek (Tarray) three times, leaving it finally flowing southward and to our left, into that of Dyoonboors which it joined at a mile and a half from where we had been encamped.  At three miles, having crossed a low ridge of forest land, we entered a fine valley, backed on the west by romantic forest hills, and watered by some purling brooks which united in the woods on the east.  The flat itself had a few stately trees upon it, and seemed quite ready to receive the plough; while some round hillocks on the north were so smooth and grassy that the men said they looked as if they had already been depastured by sheep.  From an extremity of the clear ridge I obtained an extensive view of the mountain chain to the south-east; and I intersected most of its summits.  The whole seemed smooth (i.e. not rocky) grassy, and thinly timbered.