On the following morning I determined to take the direction of our movements on myself, and after we had breakfasted at the long water-hole, struck across the plains, and took up a course of 142 degrees to the west of south for a round hill which I proposed ascending.  Topar seeing us determined, got into a state of alarm almost bordering on frenzy; he kept shouting out “kerno, kerno,” “rocks, rocks,” and insisted that we should all be killed.  This however had no effect on us, and we continued to move towards a spur, the ascent of which appeared to be less difficult than any other point of the hills.  We reached its base at 10 a.m., and had little trouble in taking the cart up.  On gaining the top of the first rise, we descended into and crossed a valley, and ascending the opposite side found ourselves on the summit of the range, the surface being much less broken than might have been anticipated, insomuch that we had every hope that our progress amongst the hills would be comparatively easy; but in pushing for the one I wished to ascend, our advance was checked by a deep ravine, and I was obliged to turn towards another hill of nearly equal height on our left.  We descended without much difficulty into a contiguous valley, but the ascent on the opposite side was too rough for the cart.  We had pressed up it along a rocky watercourse, in which I was obliged to leave Morgan and Topar.  Mr. Browne, myself, and Flood, with our horses reached the top of the hill at half-past twelve.  Although the position commanded a considerable portion of the horizon there was nothing cheering in the view.  Everything below us was dark and dreary, nor was there any indication of a creek to take us on to the north-west.  We could see no gum-trees in that direction, nor indeed could we at an elevation of 1600 feet above the plains distinctly make out the covering of the ground below.  It appeared to be an elevated table land surrounded by hills, some of which were evidently higher than that on which we stood.

The descent to the westward was still more pre cipitous than the side we had ascended.  The pass through which the creek issued from the hills was on our left, Coonbaralba being between us and it, but that hill was perfectly inaccessible; I thought it better therefore to return to sleep at the water where we had breakfasted, with a view to running the creek up into the ranges on the following morning.  After taking bearings of the principal objects visible from our station, we rejoined Morgan and descended to the plains.  There was a little water in the creek leading from the hill I had at first intended to ascend, to the S.W., which was no doubt a branch of the main creek.  On our return we saw that beautiful flower the Clianthus formosa, in splendid blossom on the plains.  It was growing amidst barrenness and decay, but its long runners were covered with flowers that gave a crimson tint to the ground.