August 11.

Passing along the bank of the river under the steep grassy hills which consisted of very fine-grained, calcareous sandstone, we began two miles on to ascend these heights; as well to avoid a place where they closed precipitously on the Glenelg as to gain a point from which I hoped to command an extensive view of its further course, and so cut off some of the windings.  From that point, or rather on riding through the woods to some distance beyond it, I perceived that the river was joined by another coming from the south-east through an open country of the finest character.  Below their junction the principal river disappeared on passing through a woody range, and turned towards the south-west.

JUNCTION OF THE WANNON.

Nothing could be seen beyond the crest which seemed a very predominant feature bounding the fine valley of the Wannon on the south.  By turning round the eastern brow of the high ground on which we then were we gained a long ridge of smooth grassy land, leading by an easy descent from this height to the junction of the rivers.  This high ground was thickly wooded with stringybark trees of large dimensions, and a few other eucalypti, together with banksia and casuarinae.  The soil there was soft and sandy and the substratum contained masses of ironstone.  The shrubs upon the whole reminded me of those in the wooded parts of the sandhills on the shores of Port Jackson.  Smoke arose from various parts of the distant country before us; and we perceived one native running at prodigious speed across the plain below.

CROSS THE WANNON.

On reaching the banks of the Wannon we found it a deep flowing stream, about half as large as the river itself.  We succeeded in finding a ford and crossed after cutting away some bushes and levelling the banks.  Beyond the Wannon we travelled 2 3/4 miles over a portion of very fine country and encamped in a little vale in the bosom of a woody range, the western side of which overhung the river at the distance of two miles.

August 12.

A fine clear morning gave full effect to the beauty of the country which I now saw to the eastward from a hill near our camp.  The summit of the Victoria range crowned the distant landscape; and the whole of the intervening territory appeared to consist of green hills, partially wooded.  We crossed a mountain-stream by filling up its bed with logs and, as we ascended the slopes beyond, we found the country grassy until we reached the high and wooded crest.  Lofty stringybark trees and other timber grew there on a white sandy soil; but we found among the bushes abundance of the anthisteria or kangaroo grass.

After travelling some miles beyond this crest we at length found the ground sloping to the southward; and some swampy hollows with reeds in them obliged us to turn to the right or south-west, as the water in these depressed parts falling eastward, or to the left, showed that we were not so very near the river, on the right, which I was endeavouring to follow.  We were delayed in several of these hollows by the sinking of the carts and boat-carriage.