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Updated: September 7, 2025
At that distance up the creek, nearly west, we reached it. The frame of an old building was convenient for turning into a house, with a tarpaulin for a roof, as there appeared a likelihood of more rain. Some water was got in a clay-pan in the neighbourhood.
The missing horses were found the next day, the 18th, and we continued our journey from these now empty tanks at twelve o'clock, and reached the native clay-pan tanks by night. The second one we had dug, though well shaded, was quite dry, and the native hole contained only sufficient for about half the horses.
Rains had evidently visited this region, as before I found the water I noticed that many of the deeper clay channels were only recently dry; when I say deeper, I mean from one to two feet, the usual depth of a clay-pan channel being about as many inches. The grass and herbage round the channel where I found the water were beautifully green.
Gosse's camp, where he marks on his map "Water-hole dug." Found it quite dry; but after going a few hundred yards we found a nice clay-pan with water in it, and camped. There has been a little rain here a few weeks ago, and it has not all dried up yet. If it was not for the rain-water we should have much difficulty in getting down this river, as all the old native wells dug in the sand are dry.
Thence we turned South-East for three miles; then North-East and East over most wretched spinifex plains for nine miles, when we got on to a narrow grassy flat, and, following it along about four miles, came to some water in a clay-pan, sufficient for the night, and camped. With the exception of this narrow flat the country passed over to-day is most miserable and worthless, and very dusty.
My teeth are still loose, but it is a great thing to get a little relief from a great mouthful of swollen, blistered, and most painful gums. When my mouth was closed I had scarcely room for my tongue; the blisters are now much reduced. Wind, south-east. Thursday, 6th November, The Hugh. Started at 7.20 towards the Finke; at five p.m. met with some water in a clay-pan, and camped.
Being sure that the native clay-hole would now be full, we passed it on our left, and at our outmost tank at nineteen miles were delighted to find that both it and the clay-pan near it were full. We called this the Emu Tank. We now went to the bare red hill with pines, previously mentioned, and found a trickling flow of water in a small gully. I hope it will trickle till I return.
Two of the party to separate from there, and to go in search of the missing horses, which I suppose have gone back to the Hamilton Springs; it is very vexing, some of our best are amongst them. Wind, east. Thursday, 28th March, Low Granite Range in Scrub. At 11 a.m. the horses were brought back from the clay-pan.
At fourteen miles changed the bearing to 135 degrees to the head of a swamp, two miles and a half, found it dry, a large clay-pan about three miles in circumference. I am obliged to halt, the horses are very tired and want rest; and there being plenty of beautiful green feed about, I have halted without water.
Not being satisfied with my hurried view of the salt clay-pan that I visited on the 25th ultimo, I have sent Muller to-day to examine it for springs, before I proceed to the north-west. On a further examination of this water, I find a very large portion of magnesia in it, and also salt, but very little.
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