On the afternoon of the 28th the party moved on a course of 10 degrees to the south of west, down a leading valley, the country becoming still more barren, the sand ridges quite bare, and only an occasional hakea on the flats.  At eight miles on the above course, and from the top of a sandy ridge at the distance of two miles, they saw a sheet of water about a mile and a half in length, in a sandy bed extending to the north, without any visible termination.  There was another sheet of water to the south of this in the same kind of bed, connected with the larger one by a dry channel.  It appeared from the lay of the country that these sheets of water were formed by drainage from the barren ranges from which Mr. Poole calculated he was 15 to 18 miles distant.  The lakes were about three miles in length, taking the two together, the water was slightly brackish, and in Mr. Poole’s opinion they might during the summer season be dry.  He again ascended the sandy ridge and observed that he was immediately opposite to three remarkable peaks, similar to those marked down by Mr. Eyre.  The party then turned homewards, and encamped on the creek at the head of which they had slept the night before, where they could hardly rest for the swarms of mosquitos.  Pursuing their journey towards the camp on the following morning, keeping some few miles to the westward of their former line, they passed through a similar country.  At noon, on the 1st of December, they were still amongst the pine ridges; after noon the country began to improve, and they rode across large plains well grassed and covered with acacia trees of fine growth, but totally destitute of water; they were in consequence obliged to tether the horses all night.  They reached the creek in which I had erected the pole, early on the following morning, and there found the paper of instructions informing them of the removal of the camp to within a mile of where they then were.

It was evident from the result of this excursion, and from the high northerly point Mr. Poole had gained, that he had either struck the lower part of the basin of Lake Torrens or some similar feature.  It was at the same time, however, clear that the country was not favourable for any attempt to penetrate, since there was no surface water.  I felt indeed that it would be imprudent to venture with heavily loaded drays into such a country; but although I found a westerly course as yet closed upon me, I still hoped that we should find larger waters in the north-west interior, from the fact of the immense number of bitterns, cranes, and other aquatic birds, the party flushed in the neighbourhood of the lakes.  Whence could these birds (more numerous at this point than we ever afterwards saw them) have come from?  To what quarter do they go?  They do not frequent the Murray or the Darling in such numbers, neither do they frequent the southern portion of the coast.  If then they are not to be found in those localities, what waters do they inhabit in the interior?