Mount Wellington and Mount Trafalgar formed splendid objects, rearing their bold rocky heads over St. George’s Basin, which now bore the appearance of being a vast lake.  The pleasure of the prospect was however in my eyes somewhat diminished from seeing on the other side of the range so considerable a stream that I anticipated great difficulty in crossing it; I therefore steered a course somewhat more southerly than our former route and, having reached the extremity of the range, we once more descended into the fertile lowlands.

Glenelg river.

Along these our course continued through an uninterrupted succession of rich flats, thinly wooded but luxuriantly grassed, until near sunset, when, as we were about descending the brow of a low hill, I found that the Glenelg, having made a sudden turn, was close to us, whilst in our front, and completely blocking up our passage, there was a very large tributary which joined the river from the north-east; I therefore halted the party here for the night, and at once proceeded down to the river.

It was quite fresh and running at the rate of more than five knots an hour; the bed was composed of fine white sand, and even close to the margin it was 2 1/2 fathoms in depth.  The trees which bordered it were of a gigantic height and size, I think the largest that I have seen in Australia; whilst it was almost impossible to get down to the stream, from the denseness of the vegetation on its banks.  Before we reached the main channel of the river we had several smaller ones to cross, but of very insignificant depth.

I stood for some time watching this dark turbid stream sweeping rapidly along, and could not but wonder where so great a body of water could have its source.  I had then seen no other Australian rivers, but judging from description this differed widely from them all.

I have since visited many of the most noted Australian streams and found this distinguished by many peculiar characteristics; nor would I hesitate to say that, with exception perhaps of the Murray, it will be found the most important on that continent; and, taking into consideration its geographical position, the fertility of the country on its banks, as far as it is yet known, and the rise and fall of tide, it may perhaps not yield in consideration even to the Murray.

Torrents of rain.

I now examined the tributary stream which here joined the Glenelg, and to my chagrin found that it was so much swollen by the late rains as to be utterly impassable.  To attempt to construct a bridge over it would have been useless for the adjacent ground was now so swampy the horses were bogged before we got them near it.  I wandered up its banks as far as I could before nightfall, but could not succeed in finding any place in our vicinity at which we might hope to effect our passage.  Just as it got dark the rain again began to pour in torrents; thus, if possible, rendering our position worse than before, and I returned late to the tents much dispirited at the unfavourable weather we had encountered.