the report of the Commissioner of Crown Lands upon his late visit to the
Yilgarn goldfield, containing his suggestions and recommendations.  We
understand that the report was kept back for a short time in order that
the Executive and the Finance Committee might in the first instance
discuss it.  The following is the report in full: —

I have the honour to report for the information of His Excellency the
Administrator, that I have visited the Yilgarn Goldfields, and have
carried out instructions conveyed to me by His Excellency in writing and
verbally before my departure.

I left Perth on the 23rd June, and proceeded to Southern Cross via York,
Youndegin, Mooranoppin, Totadging and Yorkrakine.  I then visited Parker's
Range and returned to Southern Cross.  I then proceeded to Golden Valley
and returned to Northam via Mangowine, Yarragin, and Goomalling.  I
reached Northam on 10th July, and Perth on 12th.

I will, for the sake of convenience and easy reference, divide my report
into eight separate subjects, and deal with each separately.  The headings
will be,

1.  Main road and branch roads.
2. Telegraph line.
3.  Water supply for Southern Cross, Parker's Range and Golden Valley.
4.  Miscellaneous requirements.
5.  Land.
6.  Kauffman Borer.
7.  The Warden.
8.  Prospects of the Yilgarn Goldfields.

1.  MAIN ROAD.

I am of opinion that the main road should start from York and proceed to
Youndegin, a distance of about 35 miles, where it can be met by a road
from Northam and Newcastle and from Beverley.  Youndegin is situated
From York about 35 miles.
From Northam about 43 miles
From Newcastle about 61 miles
From Beverley about 35 miles
Youndegin is a suitable place for the roads from Northam, Newcastle and
Beverley to join the main trunk road.  A Government Reserve with permanent
water exists there.  From Youndegin the main road will pass Tammin,
Mooranoppin, and Doodlekine along or near to the present track, but from
Doodlekine it will go straight to Merredin, as shown on map enclosed
herewith.  From Merredin it will go to Boorancoppin, and then straight to
the granite rocks within 14 miles of Southern Cross, and then straight to
Southern Cross.  From York to Southern Cross will be about 162 miles, and
the distances from the townships in the Avon Valley will therefore be:
From Newcastle to Southern Cross 188 miles.
From Northam to Southern Cross 170 miles.
From York to Southern Cross 162 miles.
From Beverley to Southern Cross 162 miles.

The road to Parker's range will turn off at the granite rocks 14 miles
westward of Southern Cross, and proceed straight to Strawberry granite
rocks, and thence to Tamarin tank and Parker's range.  The distances to
Parker's range will then be:

From Newcastle to Parker's range 212 miles.
From Northam to Parker's range 194 miles.
From York to Parker's range 186 miles.
From Beverley to Parker's range 186 miles.

The road to Golden Valley will turn off about 120 miles from York, and
proceed by Yorkrakine, Keokranie, and the police tanks, to Golden Valley.
The distances will be: —

From Newcastle to Golden Valley, 186 miles.
From Northam to Golden Valley about 168 miles.
From York to Golden Valley about 160 miles.
From Beverley to Golden Valley about 160 miles.

It will be clearly seen from an inspection of the accompanying map that
the road, as now proposed, is the most direct that can be adopted, the
straight distance from York to Southern Cross being 157 miles, and it will
satisfactorily meet the requirements of all the towns in the Avon Valley,
and the acceptable to the people living on the goldfields.

It is highly desirable that this road should be cleared at once to a width
of 40 ft at least, and the best way of doing there is to instruct Mr
Raeside, who is now working for the Public Works Department, and has
[unclear] the appliances at hand, to begin at Southern Cross without
delay, and clear the line now being survey by Mr Surveyor King as far as
Doodlekine, a distance of about 90 miles; [sic] The remainder of the road
could be cleared by contract as soon as it has been surveyed, and I
recommend that another surveyor be employed in surveying the road from
Doodlekine to Youndegin and on to York, and also the branch road to Northam.

The cost of clearing will not, I think, exceed £15 per mile, so that the
whole cost of clearing the 162 miles will amount to £2430, and this amount
would probably cover the cost of well-sinking and dams in the few places
where they will be required in addition to those now existing.

I hope no time will be lost in instructing Mr Raeside, who is just
finishing the tank-making he has in hand, to begin this work from the
Southern Cross end.

The road from the 14-mile granite rocks to Parker's Range should also be
surveyed and cleared half a chain wide — the cost would be about £525.  A
road, also, from the main road to Yorkrakine, should be cleared half a
chain wide, and cost of about £150.

The total cost of clearing the roads would, therefore, amount to about
£3105, and, I think, this expenditure is most urgent and necessary, and is
justified in the best interests of the colony.

2.  — TELEGRAPH.

I think it is imperatively necessary that a Telegraph line should be
erected at once.  The interests involved warrant the expenditure, and not
a moment should be lost in carrying out this work.

Poles of gimlet wood can be obtained, and placed in positions along the
road at a cost of about 4 s. each.  This timber is fairly good, and will
last a good time, provided the poles are of a diameter of not less than 7
inches at the butt.

I strongly recommend that this work be proceeded with.

3.  WATER SUPPLY FOR SOUTHERN CROSS, PARKER'S RANGE AND GOLDEN VALLEY.

Good work has been done by Mr Raeside for the Public Works Department in
building tanks.  The situations selected have been excellent, and the work
has been substantially performed.  The two tanks nearest to Southern Cross
are "Koorkoordine Tank," which holds 120,000 gallons, situated 5 miles
away, and "Sayers Tank," which will hold 750,000 gallons, when full,
situated about 7 miles away. Koorkoordine Tank is full, but Sayers Tank
was only just being completed, and had not any water in it, when I saw it;
but, it is in a good situation, and will soon fill, when next there is a
heavy downpour of rain.

There are also tanks at Lake Cotton, which were full, but the water was
muddy.

In order to provide a water supply for Southern Cross, I am of opinion
that a condenser should at once the obtained.  Mr Raeside informs me that
all that is required is a common shell boiler, 30 feet long by 4 1/2 feet
diameter, and a 2 inch Tangye steam pump and fittings, and a number of
tanks to hold the fresh water.  He suggests that 600 feet of the casing
tubes belonging to the Kauffman borer should be used for the condenser.

With these appliances, Mr Raeside estimates that he could turn out 3000
gallons of water every 24 hours, and that the total cost of placing the
whole thing in positions would not exceed £1000.  The machinery would be
worked and supervised by three shifts of one man each shift.  It is stated
that 2d. a gallon would gladly be paid for water, and it seems to me, that
an expenditure of say £1000 is the easiest and most certain way of
remedying the water difficulty.  It is, I think, highly improbable, that
fresh water will be obtained by sinking in the gold bearing area, within a
reasonable depth, and it is, therefore, cheaper and better to adopt a
certain means, rather than prospect further for what is uncertain.

At Parker's Range the present necessities would be met by constructing a
large tank and a cost of say £500.  A very suitable site exists, and Mr
Raeside could also superintend its construction.

At Golden Valley the present tank should be enlarged and stoned up, and
the faces and bottom cemented, as at present the tank is useless and
unfinished.  I should say £5 [unclear] will be required for this work
also, and [unclear] would, when completed, meet all present requirements.

With the tanks already made, a condenser at Southern Cross, a tank at
Parker's Range, and another at Golden Valley, at an aggregate cost of
£2000, all present requirements would be met, and the water supply placed
on a satisfactory basis, and are strongly recommend that these works be
executed.

4.  — MISCELLANEOUS REQUIREMENTS.

The establishment of a Local Court at Southern Cross, the establishment of
the Post Office Money Order system, the sale of Revenue Stamps, the
appointment of a medical officer, the residents being willing to guarantee
half his salary, the appointment of a Commissioner to revise the goldfield
regulations, a weekly mail to Parker's range, and the formation of a gold
escort, were all brought to my notice at a meeting of residents of
Southern Cross.

I beg most strongly to recommend all these subjects for favourable
consideration, as being absolutely necessary for the well-being and
progress of the goldfields.

5.  LAND.

From York and Northam to the goldfields a considerable area of good land
is passed, heavily timbered with salmon gum, gimlet wood and morrel, and
on this land nothing whatever grows at present, owing to the timber which
appears to prevent any green from growing.  If, however, this timber is
ringbarked and killed, the land being good will grow good grass, and, I
believe, if cultivated will grow good hay, if not corn.  The only obstacle
is the uncertainty of the rainfall.  I propose to mark out a small special
area near Southern Cross in order to give facilities for cultivation, and
I should like the Government to lead the way, by clearing and cultivating
say 100 acres, and thereby ascertain whether hay and corn can be grown.
When it is remembered that hay is never less than £24 a ton, the great
importance of testing the land is apparent, and I hope something may be
done in proving the matter.  I the believe experiment will be successful
in most years.

6.  THE KAUFFMAN BORER.

This very expensive machine has been dismantled, and is safely stacked and
packed away, and I think it had better remain where it is for the present.
 Some of the casing tubes can be used for the condenser, as before
suggested, and the remainder can be used for the borer, when it is next
required.

The portable engine is in good order and well protected, and will be very
useful to the Government for any work that requires steam power,
especially could it be utilised for working a circular saw, and in cutting
timber for public purposes.  Being on the spot, and likely to be useful, I
would recommend that it remain where it is for the present.  The whole
machinery being in Mr Raeside's charge, will be looked after properly, and
will always be available when required.

7.  THE WARDEN.

Mr Finnerty appears to exercise his authority with care and discretion,
and appears to be highly respected.  It is time, I think, that more
suitable quarters should be provided, and seeing that forage is so very
expensive, some extra allowance should be made on that account.

8.  PROSPECTS OF THE GOLDFIELDS.

From my own observation I have no hesitation in saying that we have a
goldfield at Yilgarn, and I felt confident that, having regard to the
large area of gold-bearing country, in the early future this field will be
largely developed.  It behoves the Government to encourage and assist by
every means in its power this development, and if a good straight road is
made, a telegraph line erected, and a permanent water supply assured, it
will encourage those who have embarked their fortunes in developing these
fields, to persevere.

It is not to be expected that much more than this can be done at the
present time, seeing the transition stage in which the Government is
situated, but I feel sure a great deal more will be expected from those
who have the charge of public affairs under the new Constitution.

I believe that there are many more reefs known even now, and not even
reported, owing to the impossibility of floating any more companies, until
the success of those now working has satisfied the public of the
permanency and richness of the fields.

SOUTHERN CROSS.

The Central mine and Fraser's mine are constantly work with a 10 stamper
battery at each mine, and, I believe, both these mines are being worked
systematically, and will both proved successful mines.  A Huntingdon Mill
is also at work at the Exchange mine, and was working very smoothly and
well.  It had crushed all the stone already raised in the Exchange mine,
and was about to begin crushing for other companies, thereby supplying a
great want.  It will probably prove very remunerative work crushing for
others, and its services are likely to be largely availed of to the great
advantage of the goldfields generally.

At Hope's Hill, the machinery was being erected.  At Fraser's South a
large amount of good work had been done, and everything made ready for
machinery, and both these mines look promising ones.

At Central Extended, shafts have been sunk and stone raised, but no
machinery was erected.

Many other places had been worked to some extent.

Alluvial gold has been and is being successfully worked at Southern Cross,
but was uncertain results.  All those working, however, obtain some gold,
and in some cases rich fines have been made.  I believe alluvial gold
exists and will be found over a large area, they present experience points
to its being very patchy.  The absence of a fresh water supply, moreover,
adds to the difficulty of working the alluvial.

PARKER'S RANGE.

At Uphill's machinery was erected, but was delayed for starting owing to
the non-arrival of a steam pump.  It is proposed, I understand, to work
this machinery as a public crusher for the present.  With the exception of
Uphill's machinery, there is no machinery at Parker's range.  A good deal
of prospecting is being done and a considerable quantity of stone has been
raised, and is ready to be crushed.  The stone at Parker's Range appears
to be rich.  At one mine, a primitive crusher had been erected, worked by
hand, and the manager showed me a small bottle fall of gold he had
extracted, and said he hoped to be able to pay wages by this means.  Some
very excellent specimens were given to me by Mr Wm. Parker, obtained from
his mine, and I observed myself that the stone being raised was very
promising.  No great depth had, however, been reached, but the quantity of
stone visible seemed considerable.  A large amount of work had been done
at MacIntosh's; shafts had been sunk and an excellent tank built, which
was well filled with water.  The stone raised seemed of a promising
description.

GOLDEN VALLEY.

A great deal of work has been done here and many shafts and drives made.
The stone raised at Waterhall's, and from the Kathleen, Marion, and other
shafts, looked very promising, and when crushed should yield good results.
 This place is almost abandoned, for what reason it is hard to say.  I was
informed that if a means of getting the stone crushed were available
plenty of good stone could easily be procured.  There are several hundreds
of tons of good-looking stone ready for crushing.

Having now gone through the principal workings on the Yilgarn Goldfields,
I may add a few words as to their probable future.  The want of capital is
the great difficulty.  It must always be borne in mind that up to the
present time it has only proved to be a quartz reefing field.  This being
so, a great expenditure is necessary, and long delay occurs before any
return can be obtained.  Added to this, that mines have been placed on the
market by speculators and others, before any substantial work has been
done to prove the reefs or even to prospect the ground.  The natural
result has been many persons have invested in mines which have scarcely
any reef, while others have become tired of paying calls, were no return
was probable at an early date.  If to this is added that the mining
investors are but a few number, one can readily understand the many causes
which have operated to embarrass gold mining on [unclear] the Yilgarn
goldfields.  That the industry will, in the end, surmount all
difficulties, I have no doubt, but if substantial assistance is not
rendered by the Government the progress may be slow and unnecessarily
delayed, unless the success of Central's and Fraser's gives new hope to
investors.

In conclusion I may be committed to record my thanks to the Warden, Mr
Finnerty, to Mr Raeside, and to the managers and others resident on the
goldfields, for the courtesy they extended to me, and for the assistance
they so willingly rendered to me.  I believe the Yilgarn goldfields will
prove to be of great value to the Colony.
JOHN FORREST,
Commissioner of Crown Lands
and Surveyor General.
July 6th, 1890.

With regard to this report we understand that the Administrator has kept
before him the resolution of the Legislature of 12 August last, and the
reply of His Excellency the Governor of the 13th same month, relative to
the construction of a telegraph from the Eastern districts to the Yilgarn
goldfield.  It may be remembered that His Excellency, when in York, some
months ago, stated it was his opinion the road should be made by the
Government as a trunk line to goldfield from some point on the Eastern
Railway, having regard to the fact that the great necessity was to have
good and easy communication from the capital and chief port of the colony
to this promising field.  Accordingly we have been given to understand
that the subject was made one for the consideration of the Executive
Council, who agreed that Mr Forrest should be delegated by the Government
to proceed to the goldfield himself and, after a thorough examination,
report on the best line or route for a trunk road, and also on many other
matters connected with the goldfield, which demanded consideration at the
hands of the Government.  We believe it is now the intention of the
Government to proceed forthwith with the clearing of the road from York to
Southern Cross has recommended in the report, and probably the
construction of a telegraph.  This last will then be a very easy and
inexpensive work, as the party clearing the road will be instructed, as
far as practicable, to cut and stack along the line the poles necessary to
carry the telegraph on.  Whether the other works enumerated in the report,
including the purchase of the materials for the telegraph, will be carried
out before the Legislature meets, we have been given to understand is not
yet determined on.  The work of clearing the main road for 162 miles,
though for the most part, through light forest and thicket, is one which
will occupy some three months, even though the system in the report is
followed.  There is a great advantage to be gained by opening up a quick
means of transit for mails and passengers, as we believe the intention is
to get the mails taken through at the rate of 5 miles an hour, travelling
night and day, which will thus only occupy 32 hours on the journey.  The
reason why the Government may shrink from the cost of the telegraph at
this date is perhaps the cost of upkeep, which a report from the
Postmaster General, printed in the proceedings of the Legislative Council
1889, estimates that over £850 a year.  We shall recur to this matter a
greater length later on....

> 24th June 1964
Take off Carnarvon, low cloud and rain (light), all roads are closed north of town. Boolathana, photo of clay pans & salt lake on Quobba country flooded, ASI 140. All country here, i.e. E of large salt lake, seemed to be spinifex in flats with ironstone sand on gravel rises with sparse mulga. Claypans here seem to be oriented approx N/S a high there is no sign of the Boologooro redhills(?), must be earlier. Minilya HS large river gums along river, spinifex in between, claypans with low rise covered with sparse (?mulga) sand. Breakaways of a low range directed by eastward flagstones. Breakaways face west and streams from there to the Western lake are very short, from there backs browner they are clay streams flowing east into the claypan system to the west of the highway. Learmonth road  .... length stream flowing into the northern end of the lakes system (Cardadia Creek). The breakaways must be the edge of the Cretaceous. Now in red Cainozoic (?) sands of Cape. E.W. road crosses river and scrubby range to our east. Flat bedded sediments exposed on western sides of range. River flowing through K. sediments, good exposures in bands, river flows from n-s +1 fence, +1 fence +1 fence +fence. Bullara Homestead (I must tell Glen. Excellent rubbish dump!) Sandhills trending SSW.

Rough Range. Breakaways along S.C. side of range (i.e. edge of a plateau), deep creeks with trees in gorges. Coming down to Learmonth Strip, leaving Learmonth Strip. Turned off road south of airstrip, truck just past creek crossing (concrete) marker in sandhill at post in east of area C, post 513.
92.4 Fence line, very slightly w of north
92.9 Corner fence lines approx nw
95.3 big circle
394.0 Corner near ....(?)
393.3 through fence at mill & back along Fu.... track
394.5 back at corner & turn straight on along the direction of the short fence to the mill 220*. Line of pegs at small barbed wire enclave, sign reads Corrosion testing, metal samples buried "Location F".
395.3 Red peg BB..R1 White pegs 1107 &1089, line of pegs due south & N.
95.5 last pegs for final clo.. - well defined track
96.2 Wide creek no pegs turned back.
96.5 Xroads just beyond our original turnoff. bery trig pt. 39*.
Pegs (300/8500 : 9400 :9300 342 in ascending value.
900  9100 Back at testing clearing - peg 11107 Al. disc in peg T5 - 1.
Lasts & surveys connect just. E/5.
400.0 Try P... ridge beams. Back at 225* Drive back along ridge to main track ie firebreak to main road. fr is cross road 400.9 between .... 7 concrete creek crossing (R... 401.01), 8404.2 Run through
408.2 Back at airstrip.

Decided to spend night at Learmonth to collect fossil, Lt. Col. Keith Murdoch MBE, Civil Commission, Exmouth, (A.J.) Lee Brunning, Jack Neal. Spent the whole afternoon with Lee Brunning looking for the line of pegs but no luck at all. Found the West Base Trig and tried to pick up the line of pegs but no luck. They should be metal fenceposts with aluminium discs attached to them (Commonwealth surveyor back at Learmonth informed me afterwards). They run in extremely rough limestone foothill country.

Cave paintings at Talgarno. C'wealth Surveyor Arthur Dawson, approx S-SE of Talgarno Tn.site, approx 35 miles : Circles, reptile, Included Hill- overhang with cave shelter. Dawson has accurate fix of spot in his survey notes. Write to Chief ...... Officer, Dept of Interior, 11-15 William St., Perth

> 25th June
Take off DC3 Learmonth. [K1]Coast south of Onslow flooded mud flats, creeks & mangroves. 13.15[2B] Onslow.

14.15 Back at Barrow [K - all the rest] of island. Found Dampier Archipelago coming up. ETA Hedland is 15.40. Have sent message to XW via DCA to inform them. We may catch them on the ground & save a night in Hedland [K8] of Dampier Archipelago and Kanasclen country and also[3B] of Northern Springs only. Remarkable silhouette.

15.10 Discovered that an ETA now 15.50 will just miss the party in Hedland by 10 mins. Pilot decided to put me down to try.

Arrived Hedland, Aerocommander still on strip at Xstrips, pilot pulled up & I jumped out & scrambled into A/C & off !! Now to get into Broome before dark !

Broome : people to contact : John Tapper & brother Edgar (medico), Peter Hinchley engineer,, Dr Des Kelly. Small footprinters(?) K.B. Spry, Broome, job prospects, letter to me in Perth making enquiries.

[K1] coastal .... at Talgarno. Very clear in lowering sun, old coastline also shows up very well.

Get address of Australian Natural History for John Tapper. Dr Bill Smith physician at Chest Hospital.

John Tapper described a possum with short ears, large eyes, scaley bare tail like a file which he caught in the cylinder box at Entrance point - clearly Wyulda [squamicaudata]. He let it go in his garden.

> 26th June
Photos of luggers (?) ; Dampier West etc. Went with John Tapper and Peter Hinchley to the new jetty & to Entrance Point. Saw the usual(?) scappy plst fossils at new jetty, then on to Entrance Point and took photo of general view . Bloodwoods, Banksia, Corktrees.

Taxi out to the take off for survey of Dampier (?) land. B7W with green filter x 2, colour at 25AsA. [K1] [B1], photos of Pindan 500ft just before Barred creek(?), Quondong Downs (?), Point Coulomb,

[2K] [2B]Cape Bertholet turned 90* along 236802 north, sandy, AS130K, 1443. Changed B&W in camera, tried 90*note 14.50. Camera now at B in 4, K in 23. Last photo before turning E some drifts of same etc at coast at Cape Bertholet. Pilot estimates about 15 mls.

The study of the ..... seems to be very dense for Pindan - there are flowering acacias, ? cadeppents & pandanus in the creeks - well integrated with creeks.

Coming up to Beagle Bay 1457 [1K] [1BW] of much more typical Pindan.[1K][1B] of mangroves at Beagle Bay looking E. close into Bay.

Pindan in flower[2K][1B] cutting across to Pender Bay. Pender Bay turned East up Kelk Creek 150 about halfway along creek[1K] +[1B] (mudflats & kadgetty) up here there seems much less like pindan. Roos [K1] Donkeys (Bill) been at500 ft all the way so far.1512 Turned new course for Derby for about centre of peninsula 158* [1K] pindan with white .......[K1] Creek at Disaster Bay [B1] Big boas in midst of pindan 1520 Valentine Island coming up [B2] of Derby.

Derby

Documents (a) Postmaster : explain ..... decision (b) Alan Ridge (c) McGregor fossils for Kainzoic library freelists 21c for John Tozer (d) Glen Cairns Native Welfare (e) Jim Coleman. Basil McQuade, note Cencil Lands (?).

> 27th June
Take off from Derby. Before takeoff [2K] [2B] of the Prison Tree and of the Royal Flying Doctor Service tablet.

Meda Homestead , Mt Hart strip (Clearskin(?) directly overhead, very rough & broken country. Headwaters of Barker River. There is an old strip there, looks very interesting country, rough as blazes. Synnot Range, very big tableland country, huge breakaways down into narrow valleys with good waters.[K1] just short of Gibb River, photo towards SSE [K1] Gibb R. sandy bed, altitude 7000. Gally forest in headwaters of Durack R. [K1], Durack R. further downstream [K1]. END OF FILM.

Breakaways to the SE of the Gut(?) [K1]

[2K] View of Wyndham [1B], Wyndham town [1B] Meatworks. [K1] Rayes(?) with Ord River between [B1] Kununurra.

> 28 June 1964
Parry's lagoon on the ground. Echidna collected in Saw Ranges nr Wyndham, Mark Nevill, 1963 / 4 Christmas.

Took Halls Creek Rd to Kununurra [K2] in hills near Parry's Creek : Eucalypts on hills, boabs, colewoods(?), cassias & other deciduous trees in valleys [K1] between hills. Here less eucalypts and more deciduous [K1] from range of hills near creek to across the plain to Kununurra, white tipped post in picture, white top about 10 in.[3K] Dunham River Bridge +[1K] Bandicoot Br, Ord R.

> 29 June 1964
0520 Climbed Kelly's Knob in order to check reported fossil in the Precambrian quartzite on the top. Not a fossil.

0800 left Kununurra. 0838 bus(?) take off Wyndham, course 185*, 120 knots

0857 [K1] [B1] Gorge ? King R. Looley West along Cockburn Ra. 0905 140 knots, course 180*, 8000 ft. Turkey Creek looking west [K1] [B1]end of film. Violet Valley Country [all Kodachromes to date are probably out of focus] This is very dry country, looks like sandstone savannah, so much for the myth that the Wyalda country is high rainfall country. Now b&w.

[B1] Taken looking west, sandstone savannah country typical of Violet Valley crossed main road immediately afterwards. Country here dissected by creeks with lines of trees. Very broken country wide NS Ranges across the river. All these streams seem to be headwaters of the Ord. There is a peculiar small portal of sediments in a formation 10* from Halls Creek, 10-20 m. appears to lie among Precambrian. Trends NS on opposite side of river to the main ranges. Good exposures[Check this] Well west of main road, circles Halls Creek[K1] [B1]of town & looking west [2K] at low level looking oast. 0953 Air strip.

Examined skeleton at police stn., Aboriginal (?male)  caves in anthill burial. Moola Bulla Skeleton, Const. Dwyer (says burial ground nr. Mt. Burnet(?). Appleby says that there is another stn. Flora Valley.

Prospecting Company. Pickards Mather & co. Industrial. George Hanna Camp manager, Donald Perkin, geologist, Sydney. C. of PM Halls Creek, Don Ealey, Project Chief. Donald Perkin is a good one with a fine collection of pickup artifacts. They collect insects for New England.

Take off for Fitzroy Crossing by road route. Country seems to be mostly flat alluvial works with the remains of an old plateau along ... ... torn bits of breakaways looks rather like Nullagine country.

Koongie Park[Aboriginal Community] claypan country, Lamboo, May River [K1] [B1] flat burnt out country with rivers & long ranges in distance. Margaret R.[K1][B4] junction of May & Margaret [K1][B1] Louisa(?) Downs on Margaret R.[K1B1], Red Bluff & Mt Frank. Spinifex plain, gently undulating with N.s..fit... wood and small eucalypts.

1350 Red Bluff[K1B1] halfway between Red Bluff & Wolaria(?) Downs> [B3K] in gorge. Hancligan(?) Cliffs. Christmas Creek[1K]taken Cooley N. way from the station. Chestnut Bore, all of the country, green spinifex pindan(?) with small trees scattered about. Nipper Creek a gaggle of eucalypts across the plain, gigantic anthills & N..... everywhere.1420 [K2] Emanuel Ra.

> 30th June 64
John Greymark, Senior Constable, Norm Newland, Const [Inspector Gallagher Browne], Joy & Jack Sandford, Mrs Newland is a Mungton (?) girl, Bath St., Dulcie (Peg) Edgington (Cec Edgington, Hardware).

(saiwon) Wangillee (jillie) =cycles "golliwog" police native. Met Jim Clarks and Directu Liverings, Ted McLarty, Luluigui, Mac, McNamara. Jubilee Duncan Boston, Noonkan. They say that Karrabul are quite common on Luluigui and Liveringa country. Rabbits have been seen towards the end of the dry season on Jubilee by McLarty, Waciots (?) appear to be quite plentiful along the river country. Saw Jeff Rose on Quanbun and went up to Aligator Dam (now Jubilee Dam) also went to the dam futen made. There is a curious white conglomerate at Aligator Dam but not in the more northern of the dams, suspect that this is the material from which fossils obtained. Collected specimens, no bore (?) : 12804 - 12805 Geological catalogue. (Added) From examining these fossils on the occasion of their accession to the collection on 22/9/66, it appears probable that the site is the same as that visited by Douglas & Kendrick on 1/7/66 this is 12 miles by road from Fitzroy Crossing Post Office & I have endorsed the labels etc accordingly numbers are 66.884 to 66.898 GWK.

> 1 July
Drove out to exposures of Fairfield beds beyond airfield on road to Derby, collected front fossils. Take off [K2] of .... inn [K1] near trig hill [B1] at about 1000ft, climbing to make light near Alexander Island, 3000 ft triodia. The [K1]B1], long ridges of ? Fairfield beds exposed, on bearing strike 230* may be old sandhills. Jubilee Homestead [K1] on bend of river, taken looking over towards Jubilee Dam on Quanbun Downs (Aligator Tank). Ht 7000 Very broken range country over on the left i.e. south of the river i.e. Permian grant Fn of St. George's Range [K1].

Quite a lot of bare fidhill country red sand, remainder particularly to the west is sand and triodia. The bare sand is fine pattern [K1][B1], 8,200.The Bowns probably listing too far open.

Breakaways [K1][B1] capped with a hard crust of greenish more friable material beneath matches Springs.

Abeam of Mowla bluff, Edgar Ranges a very broken piece of country clear of the sandhills. Headwaters of Geegully creek[K1] [B1] Woyley slightly W. of Nack, 8000 [K1][B1]looking 150* Wapet track, vegetation the same as further east, long sandhills evenly spaced, very few chains. Study about +EW. Passing to the west of the most easterly of the salt lake chain of the extinct Tilgano river. Chain dunes seem to be very stable, vegetation in the links, almosts if the dune system is beginning to break down - in fact the chains are commonest towards the ends of the dunes. Crossing the salt lake system(most northern chain)have some of the chain dunes are beginning to blow out. There is water in the lakes and also in interclinal depressions. Change course to 230*, Ht 8000. Sandhills finish. Main channel of Talga R., sandhills start again.[K1]. Dunes now cleared to coast with fine change to sandhills clear. Sandhills finish. Open triodia plain with small isolated lumps of breakaway. Very much fire damage, whole square miles denuded. We have been flying along the outer edge of the sandhills. Low features with streams and vegetation in valleys, sandhills start again but we are only crossing the western end about a mile inland. Junction of Nullagine R., De Grey and Oakover River head. Passing east of small range of broken hills at headwaters of Calleon Creek [K1][B1] along DeGrey crossing Bamboo creek, photo in angle of range at about 250*.

Marble Bar town, Mines Office, 2000ft coming into land, looking SSW approx. Marble Bar Mr. B.H. Stubbs was the person responsible for the rabbit bandicoot. Have told him that Douglas and Butler will call.

Take off for Nullagine, course 150*. Crossed the Marble Bar hills and now on a flat spinifex plain to the west of very broken country. hills on NW of Nullagine, mostly rough country with spinifex and a few trees.[K1] tributaries of Nullagine River flowing eastwards on edge of hills less than 10 m. from Nullagine.[K1][K1][B1] Nullagine township. W  illiam M. McKinnon is reputed to be mining diamonds in the conglomerate. 74 Duckland St N. Perth.

> 2nd July 1964
Nullagine takeoff course 195*. East of Bonney Downs Homestead [K1] Roy Hill beds, breakaways n. of Roy Hill to the immediate W. of the road. Good exposures 8000Ft@140K. The Fortescue here flows west along a flat plain jumped up from the breakaway to the north. Looks very much like Mulga Downs country. Roy Hill directly underneath, photo taken west [K1][K1] Mt Newman and the Ophthalmia Range looking west. Eastwards flowing Fortescue round the top of the Ophthalmia Range. Spinifex and ironstone sand country with little relief.

Booloo Downs Homestead. Headwaters of the Ashburton R. Some flat slightly rolling spinifex country with trees along creeks. [K1][B1]8000 looking west. Collier Range[K2] looking west. Abeam of 3Rivers

Homestead. Flat ironstone sand country , spinifex some mulga. At Gascoyne R flowing westwards[K1][B1] looking west. Crossing highway south of Doolgunna Homestead & just south of Robertson Range. Course changed to 210* more  or less// add to east of road.

Sherwood and Yoothapina coming in to land at Meekatharra. Mulga to the north is v. patchy and seems to be very dry in the area drained by the many tributaries of the Murchison itself seems to be more dense to the west, east & south [K1][B1] Mulga is dense to the west, east & south but this may only be on deck.(Meekatharra). Take off for Leonora course 135*[K1][B1] looking south 3000ft. Passed Hillview, 7,500 (Real 6,200) Course 135* ASI. 140. Among Montague Range a very nondescript set of low breakaways down to a lower level. There is a curious little patch of (long N.S. dunes) on top of dunes?. Lake Mason : very poor exposures. A few small breakaways a mile or so from the northern bank. Lake itself has very gently sloping margin. Airstrip abeam, coming up for Leinster Downs, red soil with scattered mulga.

Lawlers. Coming up for Wildara above the main road to Leonora, largish creeks with eucalypts, remainder still seems to be gently undulating red soil with not very dense mulga and some sort of greyish low cover. Sturt Meadows Homestead [K1][B1] 4000 ft. Clover Downs & Lake Raeside in background, poor exposures, white river gums along creeks, grey foliage of shrubs? away from river must be mulga the shadows come right down to the ground[K1].

[K1][B1] of Gwalia & Leonora : Sons of Gwalia mine. Landing. Took [K&B] of mine, end of films.

Sons of Gwalia, Mr. R.A.Barden, general manager of Mine, Has first 10 folders of correspondence 1898-1904, including correspondence of Herbert Hoover 1st Agreement & between prospectus & S. of G. Mr Barden will leave here within six months.

> 3rd July 1964
Took[K] of mulga at aerodrome [B4] [new film], of mulga, grass, sticks and solanaceous plant. Up above Leonora, course 175* straight to Kalgoorlie. Dense mulga cover, Alt.6,000 looking west ; patches of ?eucalypt beginning to come in particularly along the shallow stream washes [K1][B1] looking west. Salt lakes  crossed ? skyline a few poor exposures at Radd-Western? and otherwise mostly gently shelving banks even creeks flowing in have very poor banks.

Mulga / eucalypt mixture looking west [K1][B1] suggest grey mulga - darker eucalypt. More lakes, still mixed mulga eucalypt. Descent begins.

[K1][B1]  2500 alt., [K1] of spoil heaps at mine on deck, Alt. 0900ft.

In air on way to Perth[K1][B1] two kinds of eucalypt, 1 green, 1 grey, green with shiny leaves & brown stems, grey with whitish stems....

3. From W. White, Reedbeds, Adelaide, asking to contact a local birds' eggs collector's address for possible exchanges, 3 August, 1894, 2 p.
4. From Charles H. Pennypacker, West Chester, Pennsylvania, to Woodward asking to arrange exchanges of American minerals for Australian minerals at his expense 2 April, 1894, 1 p.
5. From D. Le Souef, Zoological and Acclimatisation Society, Melbourne, to Woodward asking about exchanging birds' eggs clutches 12 October, 1894, 1 p.
6. From John W. Mellor, Holmfirth, Fulham, Adelaide, asking for details of birds' eggs collections for exchanges 15 October, 1894, 4 p.
7. From Ern A. Power (?) South Terrace, Adelaide, offering to exchange a collection of South Australian shells, named and catalogued, for a set of Western Australian shells, 16 July, 1894, 3 p.
 8. From Ern A. Power 1 Morphett St., asking to exchange the shells of South Australia for those of West Australia or to send ones you require, 3 December, 1894, 2 p.
9a. 9b. From Robert Etheridge, Australian Museum Sydney, to Woodward, suggesting an exchange system for geological and zoological specimens, common or rare, in exchange for any specimens they have as Sydney has no W. A. specimens, 15 January, 1895, 2 p.; 24 January, 1895, 2 p.
10. From D. A. Porter, Tamworth, New South Wales, a list of Australian lizards to exchange giving 2 for 1, also Coleoptera, 6 March, 1895, 2 p.
11. From Robert Etheridge, Australian Museum Sydney, to Woodward, glad to receive the Meteorite and native weapons, also W. A. Magpies, smaller and rarer marsupials, carboniferous fossils, will arrange suitable exchange 6 June, 1895, 1 p.
12.From Robert Etheridge, Australian Museum Sydney, welcome cast of Meteorite, send pieces of quartz from Goldfields, W A magpies and smaller marsupials, 9 July, 1895, 1 p.
13. From Ern A. Power, 99 Franklin St., Adelaide, 21 October, 1895, 2 p.
14. From Robert Etheridge, Australian Museum Sydney, asking for a W.A. emu skin to be included, do you want one seal or two, or fish and reptiles in spirit, models of gold nuggets ?, 12 November, 1895, 2 p. 
15. Curator Queensland Museum distributing fossil jaws of Macropodidae 7 November, 1895, 1 p.
16. Queensland Museum send fossil jaws of Macropodidae to Perth, 18 December, 1895 1p.
17a. Robert Etheridge, Australian Museum Sydney, sending seals and dolphin (Delphinus Forsteri) offering others, mounted?, 24 January, 1896, 1 p.
17b. Robert Etheridge, Australian Museum Sydney, to Woodward, sending a case of specimens, Board would like you to send Aboriginal weapons, smaller & rarer Marsupials, West Australian magpie and W.A. emu, Swan River and Gasroin River carboniferous fossils, Greenough River Mesozoic fossils and any marsupial acceptable, 26 February, 1896, 2 p.
18. R. Higglesworth to Woodward offering to supply British shells in exchange for Australian ones; 27 February, 1896, 1 p.
19. From Etheridge to Perth Museum, list of specimens sent 28 February, 1896, 1 p.
20. From S. Sinclair, secretary, Sydney Museum, advising shipped a box of specimens by "Chamac", 3 March, 1896, 1 p.
21. From J. H. Gatliff, a Victorian sea shell collector, to curator, a list of shells offering to arrange exchanges 23 March, 1896, 2 p.
22. From Harry D. Fuller to Woodward thanking him for assistance to Walter de Vaux , shell collector, Barton, Balmoral, Brisbane, who is on a trip to Pacific Islands 30 June, 1896 2 p.
23. From George Gross, Brisbane, to Woodward on behalf of Walter de Vaux, sending Queensland and Western Pacific shells hoping you may send us Western Australian specimens and exchange specimens of Lepidoptera in future, 24 August, 1896, 2 p.
24. From Alexander Morton, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, to Sir James Lee Steere asking for W. A. Museum specimens on exchange, 20 August, 1896, 1 p.
25. From D. L. Swifte, State School, Adventure Bay, Tasmania to curator, sending birds' eggs by Captain Davis, on Barque Natal Queen, for exchange, and he will return with any from you 21 September, 1896, 3p.
26. From Alexander Morton, Tasmanian Museum, to Woodward, would like any West Australian ethnological specimens and Tarsipes rostratus and Myrcobius fasciatus 21 September, 1896, 1 p.
27. From R. Etheridge of Sydney to Woodward hoping for the specimens requested by the Australian Museum Sydney since 26th February especially the magpies, 18 December, 1896, 1 p.
28. To Bernard Woodward : List of mammals and birds from Museum, Perth, W.A. requested by Edward Gerrard, [189-], 2 p.
29. To Curator, Perth Museum, from George Gross, Brisbane Grammar School, sent case of shells on a boat struck in Sydney, if shells have arrived more exchanges may be made, 17 February, 1897, 2 p.
To Curator, Perth Museum, from George Gross, Brisbane Grammar School, 7 January, 1897, details of shipping parcels of shells, lists of Queensland and W. A. shells, address of W. Saville-Kent about Gt. Barrier Reef 4 p.
30. To Woodward from Arnold U. Henn, Perth, asking about Heteronymphae of W.A.: H. Duboulayi and H. Paradelpha exchange for N.S.W. Lepidoptera and shells, 20 February, 1897, 1 p.
31. To Woodward from Secretary of W. A. Bureau of Agriculture, W. A. asking for a list of W. A. carnivorous birds and offering insect specimens 6 May, 1897, 2 p.
32. From R. Etheridge of Sydney to Woodward, rumours of a fine set of Myrmecobius, am anxiously expecting a specimen, 7 July,1897, 1 p.
33. From Thomas Gibbs, Dept. of Lands & Surveys, Perth, thanking for stuffed Bronzewing pigeon and offering future contributions, 26 July, 1897, 1 p.
34. From R. Etheridge of Sydney Museum, list of specimens requested, particularly anxious to have a "bona-fide W. A. emu, so-called D. irroratus" 20 February, 1897 1 p.
35. From R. Etheridge of Sydney Museum, received box of egg specimens, requesting Carboniferous and Mesozoic fossils from Kimberley, W.A. minerals, 14 August, 1897, 2 p.
36. From R. Etheridge of Sydney museum, sending model of Nocoleche Meteorite, received  memo from Lipfert about Alfred J. North's study of Australian bird's eggs 9 September, 1897, 3-0-0, 1 p.
37. To Woodward from Frank A. Ward of Ward's Natural Science Establishment, Rochester, N. Y., interested in list of duplicate skins offered, details about transport 2 December, 1897, 1 p.
38. To Woodward from George Gross, Brisbane Grammar School, responding to letter and offering to send Cyprea and Voluta, 27 March, 1898, 2 p.
39. List of duplicates, The Museum, Perth, W. A. : Mammalia, Aves. 3 p.
40. To Woodward from B. E. Bardwell, Broken Hill Chambers, Mouat Street, Fremantle, W.A. has a large collection of Victorian and New South Wales birds' eggs, catalogued, wishing to exchange for Western Australian birds' eggs 19 May, 1898, 1 p.
41. From R. Etheridge of Sydney Museum, last letter not answered, nor any specimens sent, last lot 29 birds in August, please send particulars, 12 April, 1898, 1 p.
42. From R. Wigglesworth, 13 Arthur Street, Clayton-le-Moors nr. Accrington,to Perth Natural History Society, My relation, E. Wigglesworth of Perth, 10 May, 1898, informed me that you intended to send a parcel of Australian shells with him for me which were not ready when the vessel departed for England. I  have asked him to take back to W.A. a few Lancashire land and freshwater shells for you in exchange. 2 p.
43. From R. Etheridge, Sydney Museum, examples sent are correctly named and free from insect pests, wrap fish in cheesecloth in sawdust saturated with alcohol, 10 May, 1898, 1 p.
44. From secretary of Sydney Museum acknowledging receipt of your letter, and that the case of specimens arrived safely, 1 July, 1898, 1 p.
45. To Woodward from S. Hughes, of South Australian School of Mines and Industries, offering specimens of opalisation from White Cliffs, N.S.W. in exchange for rocks, minerals or fossils, 3 August, 1898, 1 p.
46. To Woodward from E. M. Pretty c/o Bank of New South Wales Perth, 12 September, 1898, friend in Brisbane collects insects, has some rare specimens to exchange for insects of W.A. 1 p.
47. To Woodward from I. H. Gatliff, Commercial Bank, Carlton, who wrote on 23/3/1896 offering to exchange marine shells, we now have a list prepared for the Royal Society, sending copy of genera now working on, will send you a copy for exchanges 27 September, 1898, 1 p.
48. From R. Etheridge, Sydney Museum, sending mounted mammals listed, wish other mammals listed, ethnological specimens, minerals, W.A. Palaeozoic and Mesozoic fossils, also photos of Aborigines, 7 November, 1898, 1 p.
49. From R. Etheridge, Sydney Museum, to Woodward, Perth Museum, list of specimens for exchange 9 December, 1898, 2 p.
50. To Woodward from R. Etheridge, Sending by S.S. Marloo two cases of specimens 12 December, 1898, 1 p.
To Woodward from John W. Mellor, Holmfirth, Fulham, Adelaide, asking about birds' eggs, November, 1890, 1 p.
51. To Woodward from George Gross of Brisbane offering many more specimens for exchange, many more than previous offer, especially W.A. Cypraea and Voluta, 4 March, 1899, 3 p.
52. To Woodward from E. D. Pretty, c/o Bank of N.S.W., Perth, 27 March, 1899, friend enquiring about Queensland beetles exchange, referring to earlier request. 2 p.
53. To Woodward from H. Bolton, Bristol Museum and Library, 21 June, 1899, replying to request for exchanges mainly geological and anthropological, send list of duplicates. 1 p.
54. From South African Museum and Reference Library, U. L. Selete, not interested in exchanges, sending book of South African birds with duplicates marked, 12 July, 1899, 2 p.
55. From G. A. Keartland at Melbourne Museum to Woodward,  thanking received parcel of Sophophaps plumifera, mentions Horn Scientific Expedition, 6 August, 1899, 2 p.
56. From G. A. Keartland at Melbourne Museum to Woodward, sent parcel of bird skins, offering exchanges, help with identification of eggs, Melbourne taxidermists, 23 August, 1899, 3 p.
57. From Walter Rothschild in Scotland having received skins of Bats, Echidna myrmecobius, Dasyurus, would like W.A. specimens of Echidnas, Macropus isabellinus, Casuarinius australis in all stages, egg, chicken, young  to adult and the Cream-coloured Rabbit bandicoot,  24 August, 1899, 5 p.
58. From Walter Rothschild at Tring, 4 September, 1899, to Woodward, lists of Mammals and birds wanted, labelled with locality, date and sex 2 p.
59. From Charles Rothschild to Woodward v. interested in fleas, anxious to get as many species as possible; enclosing directions: sending small glass tubes ; forwarding 2 jays & 2 magpies in skins, exchange British birds & mammals in e xchange for fleas 14 September, 1899, 2 p.
60. From R. Etheridge to Woodward requesting photos of Abrolhos Islands sea birds' nesting places to be printed on "Nikko" (glossy-bromide) paper also photos of nests and eggs of Malurus splendens and Porphyrio bellus 15 September, 1899, 1 p.
61. From M. Campbell list of duplicate skins, would like to exchange Malurus lamberti for Malurus pulcherrimus, 25 July, 1900, 1 p.
62. To Woodward from A. J. Campbell thanking for help with book on Gymnorhinus dorsalis, 8 November, 1899, 2 p.
63. From Walter Rothschild to Woodward 7 November, 1899 sending British birds and animals, asks for a set of Emus: eggs, chickens, 1/4 grown, half grown & adult from Queensland, Southern Australia, New South Wales & North Western Australia to settle once and for all the Dromaeus irrartus & Dromaeus novaehollandiae and a set from Central Australia 7 November, 1899, 3 p.
64. Selection of Birds' Skins from the Collection of the Honble N. Charles Rothschild.  Selection A (56 specialties).
65. To Woodward from Brazenor Bros., Brighton, 45 preserved birds, 2 magpies, 3 jays, 1 polecat, 1 weasel by order of the Honorable Charles Rothschild 12 December, 1899, 3 p.
66. To Woodward from Charles Rothschild sent parcels from Brazenors and 4 bats in a tin of spirits: the Noctule bat, V. noctula 15 December, 1899, 2 p.
67. To Woodard from C. Rothschild, 17 December, 1899, thanks for the bats,  1 p.
68.  to Woodward from C. Rothschild, 19 December, 1899, thanking him for bats : Chatinolotus gouldii 2, Nyctophilus timorensis, geoffr.1, Nyctinomus australis 1, Chalinolobus morio 2, 2 p.
69. Specimens for Australian Museum 20 December, 1899, 6 p.                   
 ...

Road comes round the corner of Lake Throssell, Bluff on the east side, about 8-10 ft till seems to be some sort of diatomaceous earth, no stratigraphy, no fossils.

no 13 signpost. Sandhills, lunch. Signpost. Many birds on left ? rockhole, Signpost. "freshwater limestone" outcropping in road. Flowers on roadside. Hunt Oil turnoff. Airstrip.

Sched very poor reception. Charlie calling us but in the end gave up "see you in the navy, see you in the morning..." Alex collected 2 Chalinolobus.

Breakaways - laterite : c. 10-15 ft in height., Rockhole away v. low (c.2-5 ft) breakaway on north of road - is this Gahnda ?  on wrong side of road. Drove in to see if there is another rockhole in the south - certainly not as far as can be seen from the road - as outcrops. Back at Rockhole for camp. Athol and Alex set nets over the rockhole - a deep permanent hole. Poor shelter in vicinity but Athol examined it and says no deposits - scoured out. Blackened roof.

Sked taken next day:
(1) 31st Outpost Flying Doctor Kalgoorlie. All well, Margaret.
(2) Bill Clewley arrived back in Kalgoorlie all well.
Reply: RIDE PHONE PERTH 862242 ALL WELL MOBILE AFTER RAIN INFORM TERRELL TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS 8WHISKY NOVEMBER XRAY OUTPOST KALGOORLIE OTHERWISE DELAY MUCH LOVE DEE.

Athol caught a Chalinolobus gouldii female in net over water. [WR120] C. gouldii F. netted over water, night 1/2 Feb. A.M. Douglas, forearm 42.9 mm., fixed in formalin. Many budgerigars.

> 2nd Feb. 1967 (Thursday)
Sunrise earlier over here.  0700 Sched.

Left camp about 10.00 to try to get at the breakaway in the Rowe Hills south of Gahnda Rockhole. Creek crossing on main road, turned in across spinifex[?] bearing 128*, sighted drum on right c.100* al moistyated [?] find a seismic line on the same bearing and moved across into it, continued on it 2 m. to track junction turned to 47.30* for 2 m., then onto track bearing 126* which later tended northwards to 140* at 97.5 investigated[?] a low breakaway on northern side, signs of shales & sandstones at bottom, but extensively lateritized and the whole section aslituated[?] by it (about 10-12 ft.) dug a burrow under mulga roots - ? Dasyceras [?] but noone at home. Very poor animal country, rarely any scats in the breakaways - one that looks like a possum[?] scat.

Continued on bearing of 146* for 2.2 miles to due south bearing 165* across creek to crest where large breakaways in the vicinity of Sharpes Bluff visible to East. Turned a bearing of 94* for 2.2 miles to where we took 4 colour photos from west looking out on a bearing of 80 to Lake Baker. V. impressive 3 isolated mesas[?] on the left, a low one in the centre and a line of big breakaways on the right. Picked way down into the bottom where we stopped in Walga[?] at the foot of the Right Hand breakaway. Explored the breakaway & collected specimens. At the lower levels it seems to consist of shales & sandstones with sandstones but sandstones become increasingly common towards the top where the whole is capped by a hard silicious demicrust[?] about 12-15 ft thick.

About 8 ft below the demicrust bottom collected a wood cast (two pieces) and a  ? caprolite, also a number of other things not determinable without sectioning, also collected typical specimens of various kinds of sediments.[colour]. On way back tried a new route to see if we could find an ... way to give Alex practice in driving and navigation. Drove west and reached our 02.1 position with a speedo reading of .... then back along same track for 2 m. and then onto track bearing 45* very rough track which crosses the Rowe Hills from the bottom of the median watershed (NW-SE) to the upper watershed which comes down to Lake Baker from Gahnda Rockhole.Very difficult driving across the octont[?] ridges of the hills for 6 miles to where turned into a track bearing 295* to where track turned R. at T junction to approx 15* crossed creek & then headed N.W. starting mulga to find road where it crosses the line of latitude outcrop at Gahnda. Blew tyre with stake. Changed wheel after some confusion because could not find wheel brace at first. Drove on around edge of mulga for abt 1 mile. Back at camp, .... joined road about 2000* sw of rockhole.

> 3 Feb 1967 (Friday)
Athol got another bat Nyctophilus geoffroyi female in the net over the Gahnda Rock Hole [WR121] wt 6.5 g., ... fixed in formalin.

Sched. 0700 hrs
(a) Inter[?] station memo sent to 8Whisky Tango to tell them that fuel at depo[?] consists of diesel 25 gals, petrol 4 gals. For Kevin to take it over, I will write to him from Perth. (
b) Telegram recd. from Perth via U.J.Q. TEDFORD NOT GOING MEEKATHARRA STOP WILL BE IN PERTH UNTIL 10TH PERHAPS 11TH AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU IF POSSIBLE STOP SIR THOMAS INFORMS YOU TIM HAS RESEARCH GRANT - TERRELL
(c) Telegram sent TERRELL CARE MUSEUM PERTH MOVING TODAY VIA WARBURTON MISSION STOP CONGRATULATE SIR THOMAS - RIDE
(d) telegram sent TERRELL CARE MUSEUM PERTH PLEASE CHECK MRS DOUGLAS HAS ADEQUATE FUNDS PRESCHOOL EXPENSES - DOUGLAS

Left Gahnda Rockhole for Sharpes Bluff, Turn off road on Hunt Oil Line 128* 3 miles, road ends at L junction bearing 47* 2 miles, turn into road bearing 126* becomes 146* 5 miles, bear north at corner 165*, 1.5 miles. Inerted white-tipped surveyors peg Turn off track on bearing 94* for 2-3 miles. Lip of valley between Sharpes Bluff breakaways and Lake Baker where photos taken yesterday. Walked down along vehicle tracks looking for Alex's exposure metre. No luck, collected some more fossils. A ? madible (broken into 4) and some plant-like structures. The latter is ..... in the very top surface of the breakaway, it is fairly clear that the fossils so far found in float are all from this top demicrusted sandstone. Across the valley it appears that this layer[?] has a large overburden on at least one mesa. Back at Rockhole after a look around for the meter - no luck. The trip back from the Sharpes Bluff took 55 mins. direct. Collected gecko under baggage. Left Gahnda Rockhole.

Low breakaways with laterized[?] shales, no good. Green Hillman abandoned on road, water in vehicle, suspect aboriginal party seen before, no number plates. Lunch at Sched.[C  ]. Very hot indeed water balance gone to hell. Could hardly hold lunch. Got in some salt and managed to keep it. Was silly and took off shirt earlier in the morning after carrying fossil from Sharpes bluff & lost much water.

Collected grasshoppers. Broad creek low trees. Broad creek low trees. broad road coming away to north. Crossed creek.

Native Welfare Notice edge of Reserve : Poor notice - "must not enter". Would be better to have printed "enter and report".

Blacks Lookout. Warburton Mission. Finished up with about 10 gals. in tanker.

Information for Dick Hawthorn at Warburton Mission. Hunt Oil had a camp at Alexander Springs, thinks there was a road through to the Gunbarrel Highway. RACWA map gives road ring south for 50 m. W. of Turnoff Gunbarrel Highway / Warburton-Giles Rd. We saw the bottom end of this 27 miles before Warbo. - (map gives it as 35).

Distance to Carnegie in RAC map 322 miles.
Call sign 8 ROMEO BRAVO. 5360.
Changed Sched 6.45 weekdays, 7.15 Saturday, 8.55 Sunday, Give positions

1300 hrs every day you are feeding on 6825 and transmitting on 5260. Alexander Springs 265255 Gowalys[?] sheet. Telephone nos. in case we need information re Hunt Oil turnoff to Alexander Springs.

Lord 865795, Geol. Survey 285061, WAPET 233941.

Dorothy Hawthorn got us a cup of tea. She is obviously overworked in the heat. So we went out and fueled up. Dick [Hawthorn] has a fossil Ostrea from somewhere around  - low not known, also our chalk balls should be looked at by someone.

Elder Creek is a glorious sight. Great trees all over the place reminds me of the Oakover in places. Country starts to improve as the Mission is approached[?] , v. great contrast to the country between it and Cosmo. Managed to take in all 44 gals. Dick lent us a 121/2 gal drum which we have just behind the Kaywoo[?] spread[?]. I estimate we are carrying approx. 50 gals plus. Left mission, camped in mulga.

> 4 Feb. 1967 (Saturday)
A strong wind from the east, going to be hot. Sched: Heard 8ROMEO BRAVO tell Charlie that he had annoyed a private Sched, Charlie paid compliment saying that he knew me and had no worries.
Sent telegram : USQ TIM MEAGHER PERTH TELEPHONE 611122 DELIGHTED YOUR NEWS ANTICIPATE SUCCESS RIDE.
Packed up and got away at 09.30. Stopped and took photos of .....[?] [C3328/9] Sandhill country with triodia, mallee, mulga, bluebush, al grevillea & callitris. Michael White v. pleased to have a new sp. of morabine[?] on the grevillea, took photos[C3330-35].

Turnoff along Gunbarrel Highway, signpost Carnegie 282 m., Warburton 40, Giles 175, (Kulgera 580). Surveyed Astrofix S 25* 42'27" E.126"39'47

L. Beadell 16/8/1958 [C3335-6]. Recoalmed[?] the post, new kodachrome in camera, 34.-[C3401] View down Gunbarrel towards Carnegie: Travertine outcrops in the road but no exposures anywhere else, spec. collected. Todd Range : a line of laterite breakaways, good morabines collected but no fossils. Lay road extending North to the horizon [C3402] photo taken eastwards along highway, investigated road to south, it gave up at back of highway. A hundred yards further on find a small  metal tag Rockhole 100*. These proved to be 3 excellent rockholes( (?) on the surface of an exposed outcrop. Collected fora from them, no tortoises Preserved in formalin [C2403,4]. Cairn on Mt. Samuel, a wonderful view across to the south, can see Sutherland Range on the horizon. A road moves around the base of Mt. Sutherland and goes south at a bearing of 185*S. A road turning off at 178*, turned down it and camped at 2841.3 Ref. south of neck 388798. A hot night, v. windy with strong winds with variable directions., Kept me awake.

> 5 Feb (Sunday)
Calculated petrol consumption on the following basis: Consumption up to Minnie Creek, 445.5 m. + 1 jerrycan. Consumption Minnie Creek to Warbo 386.5 m. + 2 jerrycans excluding the move quantities the mpg works out to 13 and 12.5 mpg. Distance from turnoff to Carnegie Homestead = 211.2 miles and on a basis of 13mpg with spare can = 16.6 gals in 4 cans + 1 reserve. At present we have 6 jerrycans + 1/2 tank +12 gals. ie we have approx 20 gals to play with ie 260 miles. Decided that it is unlikely that the Hunt Oil people would have gone west from the road through the breakaway country between it and Alexander Springs and that seems more likely to have cut SW from Mt. Beadell and Decter Airfield.

Listened to Western Australian ABC news /"Third Network" excellent reception. Sched to 8ROMEO BRAVO nothing for VJQ, reception v. poor to JJQ no RV with Athol who was filling water canteens at Mt Samuel rockholes. Camels[?] in chain of lakes crossing the road, suspect that this is the system which flows SW past Sutherland Ra. ie Lake Breeden, Royd Lagoon, Lake Gillen [C3405-10].

Just out of lake system travertine exposed in road, collected specs. , a brown conglomerate exposed in road, collected specs., Quartzite exposed in road, collected specs. Alex collected 2 Amphibolus, sandhills. Sandhill country E of Thryptomene Hill, caught morabines. Survey post concrete [?] with bronze plug. Surveys ^ . Track leading off in about 110* into sandhills.

Notabilis Hill, NH. F. 19. Y junction with left fork being 220*, took left fork. Rt fork appears to be the Gunbarrel. Helicopter pad wuth three roads coming out of it: 1. 336* 2. 218* 3. Approx. 100*. Turns to 267* for 6 miles, [small turnoff to south did not take], Breakaways to north, turn to 238* for 3 miles, turns south 179* for 11 miles to crossroads  where we turned right at 278* (We investigated construction but this became a mere surveyors line so we returned to the crossroads at) drove along road for 10 miles which started at 278* and became 265* (for purposes of plotting, I assumed that 5 miles was done at 278* and 5 at 265*). We refuelled the Land Rover so that we now had a completely full vehicle with a potential of some 420-450 miles. Crossroads at 350*, straight over. Flooded creekflats incredible number of frogs & tadpoles. Collected and took photos of Michael & Alex fishing[C3412-15], [B&W 1-3]. New road to left (crossroads) at 195*. This should take us straight to Sutherland Ra. which is now approx 15 m. to the south of us. Ran along flooded creek flats with travertine exposed in road to a valley with a flood across the road. Frogs calling, tracks everywhere. Dog, fox, large macropod, v. small macropod (on its own), probable bandicoot and numerous other tracks. Some rain on the way in and heavy showers from lunchtime onwards. Dodged around the floods but diesel could not get across the first big dune decided to camp for night on top of dune to south of flooded flats.

Miles travelled since morning = 183.5 m. Miles travelled on Gunbarrel 50.5 distance for Gunbarrel turnoff to Carnegie = 177.2 m. ... to Warbo = 127.8 but distance given on signpost of 282m. distance to Carnegie Homestead =197.3 m. Must send telegrams tomorrow:

To 8 ROMEO BRAVO. POSITION APPROX 18 MILES FROM ALEXANDER SPRINGS WILL MOVE BACK TO GUNBARREL AND ON TO CARNEGIE TODAY. TERRELL CARE MUSEUM PERTH> LEAVING VICINITY ALEXANDER SPRINGS FOR CARNEGIE TODAY RIDE.

KEY CORSEARCH CANBERRA  VICINITY ALEXANDER SPRINGS TODAY STOP ARRIVING MELBOURNE FEBRUARY 17 WITH MANY LIVING MORABINES HOPE YOU CAN VISIT MELBOURNE SOON AFTER TO INSPECT THEM - MICHAEL WHITE

> 6th Feb Monday
Decide to christen this place Athol's Lagoon. BROOME SHEET. Photo of  camp[C3416-20] collected male Amphibolus in good breeding condition. Packed up and got through on Sched. Sent all telegrams and asked Charlie if we had any news of a road out of Alexander Spring to the N.W. He agreed to ring Geol. Survey to ask them & we arranged a Sched at 0930 on 6825 kc. Alex checked the frogs collected yesterday all O K. Athol & Michael to stay put - we will try to reach Sutherland Range. Left camp at 0850 hrs. [Sandhill] country, fine rock exposed - [pitches] for the last couple of miles [C3421]. Sched 0930 hrs. Got through v. well. The telephone number Dick gave me for Geol. Survey was wrong so  had to stand by while checked new number. Drove on down track to 35.2 and turned right at crossroads as bearing 267* to 36.2 where we were on top of the range. Range here seems to consist of quartzite and sandstone[?] with sidiulls[?] right up in the depression. Probably O.K. if we could get to the southern side but this would take days. Charlie came up on Sched and said no roads to the S.W. all to the N.E. Hut Oil says previously 1-2 m. in W. of Alexander Spring ad 30 m N.Graded road to N.E. in 1964. Sutherland Range turned back [C3422,3,4], collected green [?] at 12.00 hrs.

Back at camp at Athol's Lagoon, packed up and crossed lagoon to join others. 13.50 left lagoon, 15.50 at Gunbarrel Hwy. Route out perfectly clear and easy in our tracks. V. hot and tired day. Cloud building.

Tadpoles (but later evidently destroyed). Mt. Beadell, sediments, the top part seems to be something like spangolite collected greens. n the top there seems to be a conglomerate but I expect that this an old B[?]horizon and chemically fired. Saw euro - shot and seemingly[?] wounded but got up and away in mulga. Saw mice crossing road. Stopped and camped. This place is a spinifex plain with a very few stunted bushes & dead workwoods[?]. Surveyors peg (cement with bronze), Northern Territory Surveys.

Alex had a field day : collected Pseudochis when he was walking around, then shot Notomys alexis f., then ran one down alive I was too tired to take any effective part in the proceedings beyond helping Athol set traps.Notomys alexis f. [WR122] collected A. Baynes shot in spinifex plain 5 m. NW of Mt. Beadell, preserved in formalin. Notomys aexis [WR163] kept alive will try to send down to Perth. Photo taken of locality[C3425, 26] all with shotgun cant in. Telegrams for Sched next day:

1. WHITE>PHONE 859033 MELBOURNE. BETWEEN WARBURTON MISSION AND CARNEGIE STOP CONFIRM RETURNING FEBRUARY 17 LOVE MICHAEL.
2. DOUGLAS  PHONE 491175 PERTH -ARRIVING HOME LATE SUNDAY EARLY MONDAY LOVE ATHOL
3. PETER RIDE PHONE 862242 PERTH HAPPY BIRTHDAY STOP WE WILL HAVE PARTY WHEN I GET BACK LOVE DAD.

> 7 Feb. 1967 (Tuesday)
10.30 hrs left camp after preping all specs taken previous night. Very sticky but strong wind and low clouds - showers of rain. Large main road joins from East. Mt. Everard & Mt.Gordon. Athol had climbed to top of Mt E - he got there first & waited for us. Structure same as Mt Beadell. Airstrip at 62.8. Surveyors trig where road turns SW. NM/F/23. Became deeply bogged with diesel, petrol got across we then soybombed[?] the diesel out. Mungilli Claypan filled with water [C3427,8,9] also examined exposures to south of road[C3430] tracks of camels[?]. The problem of these small exposures is a difficult one. All the way from Mt. Beadell, whever they occur i.e. Mt. Everard, and small breakaways to Mt. William Lambert they have each one exposure i.e. a very light "spangolite"-like material capped by what is probably the same thing but much more silicious. Camped in sandhills with threatening clouds and strong wind. Drizzle during the early part of the evening. Tried burning spinifex and walking around but no tracks or anything in the spinifex. Alex took bearing back up hill aong track of road which winds[?] slightly 33*.

> 8 Feb. 1967 (Wednesday)
Up at 4.45 Decided to get on immediately in the hope of getting to Carnegie before the rain makes it impossible. Stopped for Sched and breakfast. Not in traffic list but sent telegram:
TERRELL CARR MUSEUM PERTH -M POSITION 35MILES EAST CARNEGIE HOMESTEAD STOP HOPE REACH VICINITY WILUNA TONIGHT - RIDE
Drew up route in the Sutherland Range for the map board. [Sketch]

Windmill on left, first cattle., gate, Carnegie Homestead, Gordo & Mrs Brown, left in charge while Linke's on holiday. Found petrol and diesel and fuelled up approx 20-22 gals into each vehicle. Browns gave us v. good steak. Lake. Rounded hill of exposures with siltstones & clays with intrusted[?] tips which have eroded off to form heaps of shale like material. No fossils seen. Collected from Hill north of lake about 180* n. of road from horizon[?] half way up.[C3431] [sketch] Exposures in bed of creek s. of road [Sketch]. Chased red kangaroos for Alex to photograph. Stopped for Sched to VSQ, not in traffic list. Turned over to 4010 to listen to the Meeka traffic list. Meanwhile Michael caught one of the species of morabine which he had come to the West for. Got through to VVS at around then ("Thelma") but I could be listening to the traffic list 7am & 400[?] pw daily. Fence line with gate. Creek crossing.

Wongawoll Homestead - noone at home. Back at homestead after .... track. Small concrete survey post. Gate in fence line : two gates took right. Left road to chase kangaroo. Small concrete survey post. Stopped to brew up on flat N. of well marked creek with large eucalypts. Alex went off with gun to see if he could get a couple of ducks. Got out wireless aerial to see if possible to get weather forecast, v. threatening getting dark early.

Athol and Michael arrived in yellow peril. They must have moved. Amazing incident with an aerosol container with insect repellent. Went off in dark and sprayed Athol's face. Decided to go on because of threat of rain and creek to cross. No sign of Alex. Ultimately after tooting and lights he turned up. The creek is Wongawol Creek at Kepeltin Spring. Creek impossible at road but found way across in the dark to the E of road. Yard across the creek, found road after casting around in the dark and rain. Turn off ? Windidda. Turn off.  Found reasonable camp in mulga. V. tired, brewed up and got to bed with as little delay as possible. Alex had to be awakened to have his meal. Even Athol is tired. Rain stopped. Steak for tea v. good.

> 9 Feb. 1967 (Thursday)
Camp in mulga, left 08.30. Sched but no good. Reception excellent on 4010 band but VK3 could not hear. will try later. Telegrams :

TERRELL CARE MUSEUM PERTH.ARRANGE HELEN COLLECT NOTOMYS SENDING FROM MEEKATHARRA TODAY AIR. RIDE.

FRY PHONE 746415 PERTH SENDING NOTOMYS POSSIBLY ALEXIS AIR MEEKATHARRA TODAY CONTACT HELEN. DAVID

Michael & Athol left during Sched to get on with collecting.VKJ procedure not easy to break into.She calls all the stations in turn whether they have traffic or not. Caught up with "yellow peril"and swapped passengers so that I could have a talk with Mildred.

Stopped on road and collected 2 spp of morabines - 1 a new species with a bifid sub-anal plate and the other one of the Virgo sp. group. This is probably the :Meeka - species". Got through on Sched and passed telegrams at 11.30. Meekatharra. Had lunch and refuelled the vehicles. Alex & Athol got the Notomys off to Helen by air. Paid for lunch $2. Alex & self left Michael and Athol in Meeka to get off the morabines and we pressed on to Magnet and Yalgoo. Telephoned Margaret & told her to expect us night of 10th between 5.30 & 6.30. Tried to get through to Broads at Mellenbye - no answer. Amphibolurus barbatus on road. Alex collected. Cue. Lake Austin full of water, ripples of wind, a nice sight, road open but only just.

Mt Magnet. Filled up. Telephoned Mellenbye, roads not home : in Perth for fortnight. Had meal. Decided to drive on to Barnong in the dark to look at the exposures. Bought fruit. Yalgoo in dark. Barnong Stn. turned off dam fence line to Mooloo well. Shot 2 rabbits, spotlight, Alex with gun seated on spare wheel. Bedded down in usual campsite. Mosquitoes very bad. Sound of a little waterfall - unusual !

> 10th Feb. 1967 Friday
Examined exposures, v. interesting, a high floodline up to the very top of the bank - well marked line of refuse[?] along the sandy sloping bank on the W. side of the Ederga. All exposures swept clean & v. easy to examine. Walked down from there[?] to Crocodile side of the greenstone bars to the fenceline where it crosses the creek. River flowing quite strongly. About 4-6" deep over the sandbanks, about as silt as the sea. Atherines of various sizes swimming. Lots of signs of Varanus and Amphibolurus swimming around. The exposures downstream are v. interesting. I get the impression that the whole is much more complex than we originally thought. There seems to be a very old conglomerate overlying the greenstone and, moreover, there also seems to be a sedimentation level above the present B horizon. Does this mean that the B horizon is an early soil which has since been planed off and then added to ? [sketch]. Stopped to refuel. Perenjori, lunch. 61 mile peg south of Bindoon, many termite mounds 1/2 mile N. of tins[?]. 18.15 hrs. HOME.
 
List of people : Cosmo Newberry - Claude Cotterill
Warburton Mission - Sam Mollenhauer
Secretary UAM Perth K. R. Morgan
Margaret Daleman owner and administrator Windidda, Carnegie & Wongawol
Mr. D. Keer, manager Windidda Stn
Mr W A Brosnan, Manager Wangawol Stn.
Mr. R. Linke Manager Carnegie Stn.
Mr. A. John Carlisle - Meteorite collector
Bill Clewley, Kalgoorlie School of Mines, 79 Ward St.
Hodson, T.
Ross Ryan 162 Boulder Rd.
Tony Davis Warburton Ra. Mission
Dick Hawthorn Warburton Mission
Mick Sawyer Warburton Mission
3 p. of details....

> Sunday 20th May.
Equipment: All kit possible sent up to Mrs Bell at Roebourne Hotel, Ride & Norton in Landrover with trailer. [Details of arrangements & kit]

>  20th May 1962 - Sunday
Through to Geraldton, Norton not interested to see examples of the effect that underlying geological stresses have on nature of the country (!) Murchison Bridge - old camp site used by us in previous northern trips.

>  21 May 1962 Monday
Murchison Bridge, a beautiful clear morning, a great change from the rain & wind of yesterday in Perth, Fred helping with breakfast, Murchison with plenty of water. Sandplain, probably Eurardy Stn, stopped to look at roo dead on road, Frank did brief sketch. For last few miles nodules of rock on surface, appears to be calcareous, Cretaceous schists with an oxidized brown crust, laminated. No. 3 Tank, the Overlander : 125 miles  to Carnarvon. Found out that Hall is owner of Wooramel, Richardson is overseer, Hall lives on station.

Water lying on surface, muddy swamp, Dedus, Herons and longlegged black & white (?) stilts. A few artifacts on surface collected. Appears to be real flint here and erosion into a fine powdery glauconitic-like deposit. Collected Rhaggada plentiful on the surface. Telephone line crosses the road at this point. Stopped where breakeras(?) cross the road. Lunch. Yaringa Hstead turnoff.
  
Wooramel Homestead, met Hall who knew nothing about bone (fossil) presented to the museum many years ago. Promised to ask his natives and I said I would call back on way south in 3 or 4 weeks. He gave me the name of Elaine Parsons' husband - Greg Campbell, Bullagaroo.
Carnarvon. Shopped in town & then to Babbage Hotel to find R.E. (Ron) Cooper.
Babbage Island. Cooper left 2 years ago !! Had a look, "no fishin" too rough, operating 3 chasers.
Cooralya turnoff. Reds plentiful, also one Odestriptyai (?).
Overshot Boologooro. Yallobia, Keith Masters, few Notomys & mice on road, Bullagaroo, Greg and Elaine Campbell, stayed night !

>  22 May. 62 Tuesday
Greg Campbell told of cave with carvings (or paintings) on Mia Mia, Moogooloo Hill (Boologooro?). Mice plentiful and came into the house, Kangaroo mice also common. Alan Mitchell 1/2 native stockman came from Port Hedland when young, knows the Moogaloo cavings. On the hill many of them : Stick men, turtles, dugongs, blue-tongued lizards, kangaroos. No hands. Cave E of Moogaloo windmill. Aeroplane drawn in rock charcoal. Alec MacDonald (N.W. Rep of MLC - building with the beacon) he has filmed the cavings. Colin McKenna of Mia Mia also has films. Porcupines in sandhills, hill called Porcupine Hill. Went down  to shearing shed where white owl is said to camp, collected pellets - four  were in water end broken up - all seem to contain Notymus, 2 dry not broken up, last one in shearing shed, remainder in Ablutions. Trapped two in food store: Mus musculus WR88.  Wandagee (?) turnoff.
Lyndon R.
Mia Mia

Drove into Onslow, met Mr R. F. LeGrand of Utah Construction and Engineering Pty Ltd. He is on his way to Goldsworthy and reckons to be back in Balla Balla in 3 weeks. There is a lugger in Onslow lying idle, owned by S.W. Clark, Forrest Ave., Bunbury, Bunbury 3333. Went into hotel, met Carpentaria Exploration team from Mt. Isa, Johnny Abbott and Chris Leach who tell of Ron Langridge of Turkey Ck. -  no police station, he acts as postmaster actually PMG linesman. They ask to be remembered. Also described a meteorite impact site on  Warrawagine Stn, present manager knows locality.

Left Onslow after dark and drove towards Mardie, crossed Robe River, camped in spinifex and grass plain. Found trapdoor spider - will dig out in morning, trapdoor concealed by ironstone pebble, ducked down the trapdoor when I approached, did not pull trapdoor to, marked and will leave until morning.

>  23rd May 1962 - Wednesday
Photos of campsite, Trapdoor spider burrow.

Trapdoor open at sunrise, closed about 1 hr later, spider holding lid on burrow, unable to open with stick, dug out burrow, depth of burrow 16cm., spider a pale brown, burrow not lined with silk but trapdoor held down with silk, collected door and top of burrow.

Robt. Sharpe at Balmoral Woolshed (shearing) says Kent Lockyer (Dogger) has a fine set of carvings up at the Fortescue, shown by Lockyer to John Coten who now works in Warrawagine. These are said to be excellent figures of corroboree scenes not just doodling. Sharp says they have large numbers of native cats on the property. These appeared about 4-5 years ago, t...chs not known to natives who said that they used to occur vicinity of Deepdale on the upper Robe - Lockyer did not know of them either. The little red marsupial is also plentiful - shiny like the head of a redheaded girl. Fat tailed, teats all from a single udder like a cow.
Left Balmoral, entered flank of Hamersley Range, Frank stopped to sketch outline of (?) Mt. Wilkie - very black, looks like burnt spinifex.

Drove to Karratha Leslie says that there were sheep on West Lewis island put there by Bateman 60-70 years ago, remains of a homestead near south-east corner, 2-300* from shore, land on all islands irrespective of tides.  We talked over Dampier's description & there is some doubt that  Dampier's  Rosemary Id. is actually the modern Rosemary and should be Enderby Id. Dampier refers to the Bluff head being on the Eastern side of the island is clearly a mistake - see his later reference to inner and outer sides. Dr Leslie had been at M.C.E.G.S. '11 to 17' a boarder Mrs L. had sister Mrs White who lived in Belenia(?), ref also to Peter Potts of H.K.
Leslies knew nothing about animals. Euros around the homestead, Reds plentiful on the plains between Karratha and Roebourne.
Arrived hotel, met Balls - nice people gave them Barry's shell.
Telegram from Lewis, Min of Edu & Native Welfare:
"Will visit Depuch Island Thursday 31st May." Ted Allen & wife, Cyril Neals.

>  24th May 1962 Thursday
Wrote letters to Margaret and to Duncan in reply of his of 22nd in which he gave the following info:

  1. Diprotodon from "the gravel beds of the banks of the Oakover R. near the old Braeside Homestead". F.S.Forrman to whom the skull was first handed says that it was found by an old prospector (name not recorded) who is now dead, and found in 1940-5 years.

  2. Vollprecht. Observatory, informed museum of a meteorite seen to fall on 21.7.61, sighted in Braeside, Woody Woody and Warrawagine stns. Noise heard and flash seen. It approached Braeside from the southwest. Duncan wrote to the manager but no info. I wrote back telling him that I would go to Braeside down the Manganese road and also that I had heard of the meteorite from the Carpentina Exploration boys who we met in Onslow. They had seen the scars of the impact. Drove out to Samson to see Bill Miller about boats.

Samson fisheries, met Bill Miller, considerable difficulty over boats. He has a freezer boat in a tidal creek which goes down as a mothership to Dampier

Archipelago - probably tomorrow, and all the fishermen start fishing. Anyone to take the party to Depuch would need to be compensated for fishing loss as well as costs. Agreed on 20 pounds per day. Agreement is that Bob McIllrick will have his 18ft boat at Balla Balla at first light on Sunday morning ready to start & that he will be available at first light Monday to return the Berndts. Further arrangements to be made from that point, all kit to be there.

>  Monday morning.
Called on Graham Wilson at Native Welfare, most helpful, just taken over, needs an outlet for aboriginal artifacts, promised to get one for him- will talk to him. Coast native Mibben Low (or Mivan Lowe) - full blood, citizen rights, said to know about coastal islands. In trouble - works on wharf on Samson. Also saw Cyril Leake, interesting local character, paints and cuts tumbled stones etc.. Had long talk in evening with Alkes(?) all Balls. - shells, promised info to Harry Tilbrook, Peter & Pat Slaters.

>  25th Friday 1962 May.
Phoned Ted Roberts, he will pick up Ron & Katharine Berndt at Balla Balla first thing on Monday. He also gave permission for the local vehicle & Graham to help me and get the people out tomorrow & to recce the route to Balla Balla today. Graham will ring him this evening to inform him of

  (a) the state of the road for minister on 31st.
  (b) Route in from Hedland to pick up Berndts.

Rang Miller: he will not sail until Friday now. Will get kit down to creek as soon as possible i.e. Tomorrow.

Rang Stan: Truck will pick up kit for Balla Balla this afternoon. Must make sure that: (a) Water drums (b) Battery are laid on.

Went out to Welcome Homestead & sorted out the stuff for Depuch & Dampier, got back to hotel & found that no petrol drums available. Phoned Bob & arranged for each member of party to bring 2 1/2 gal. containers for water.

Call from Griffick of W.A. Newspapers, they will be over to the island on 31st, booked them in with Stan Ball for night of 30th.

Drove out to Balla Balla, turnoff Hedland, Wittenoom...track Northwards, Balla Balla. Unloaded kit on a spur of land at the end of the causeway across the mudflats. A horrible journey under grey skies and patches of rain through loose mud, crabholes etc to a horrible place among the mangroves. There is the remains of an old jetty which impossible to use, a wrecked lugger lying on her side in the mud and across the mangroves great black bulk of Depuch. Back to Roebourne.

>  26th May 1962 Saturday
Got kit ready for moving to Balla Balla, went down to Samson to see Bill Miller and make final arrangements. He tells me that the tide will be bad on Thursday & that the Minister's visit will not be easy, possibly 7-1100 hrs.
Went out to Don McLeod's camp, unfortunately not there, back on Thursday.
Picked up party from plane, Boswell missed it ! Poor boy, he will be v. upset.

Trouble getting out of Roebourne, the usual business of friends giving cups of tea etc. Drove to Balla Balla, some trouble with starter motor on way & Graham Wilson had a puncture, he came down to ferry the party and will come over to the island. Found Frank Norton with a fire going and tea on, most welcome. he is doing v. well. he got the truckload halfway across the causeway & dumped (?). Had a bite to eat & then onto getting the load down to the mangroves, finished at 10 pm & to bed.

>  27th May Sunday
Left Balla with Bob McIlrick approx 8.00, took colour film on way across, arrived at foot of Watering Valley at 8.25.Searched for campsite with Graham Wilson & Frank Norton, found good site on beach to south of W. Valley. The beach is a beautiful sandy bay with mangroves in a small creek at the valley end and small dunes behind the creek at the W. Valley end and small dunes behind the creek line. There is some Acacia coriacea and white gums behind the dunes at the foot of the steep hills.

Second party had great difficulty in the mangroves, Berndts & Crawford & Girls(?).  Third party, Bob Pryce (who acted as Beachmaster) Glen Storr, Ray Penrose  arrived about lunchtime - they did a wonderful job.

Set up camp, saw a honeyeater in the acacia at Watering valley. Canid tracks everywhere and Rock wallaby scats & skulls. Went for a walk with Glen and Merrilee found a fresh fox earth in the top. Hope that Graham will be able to get a black clogger(?) over here tomorrow. Boswell may also turn up. Bob McIlrick is fitting in very well. He, Ray & Helen went fishing , no luck. Saw little wood swallows, crows, blackheaded cuckoo shrike (?), butcher bird. Went for a walk with Glen along beach.

Shot Female P[etrogale] lateralis WR89 with pouch ... male furless, eyes closed did not squeak, no balance wt.27 gm, total length 150 to nearest cm. HF29, pinnae pigmented but folded down, 2nd upper and lower incisors just visible through skin. ..920, Tail 460, HF 130, Ear 55, Wt 2000g skin, skull,  pickled carcass.

>  28th May 1962. Monday
Got fire going & went for a swim. beautiful. Bob McIlrick got a fish for breakfast, went for a walk and got pickup skulls along the beach line[Skulls Depuch 1,2,3,4], collected Artsarus(?) minor, budgie in acacia - seems lost and woeful, solitary. Singing honeyeaters plentiful but could not get in range of them, saw longifolia on edge of mangroves, prepared collecting skins with formalin & salt water, Merrilee skiing.

Walked down to Watering Valley to see if I could collect a bird, got Ablepharus with red tail and yellow longitudinal stripes, pick up skull[5.], found fresh fox earth with 2 wallaby corpses, many fox tracks. Walked up valley behind first line of rock hills behind beach, collected pickup skulls,

Royce and others also collecting pickup skulls[shells?). Went up to Beagle point & saw the Beagle inscription also one by W. Miller. Bob McIlrick says  this was carved c.1957, carvings numerous on the point. Collected skull of a  large macropod (M. rufus) on the beach dune line c.20ft above sea level or 20ft above the driftwood line. This was immediately to the E of the blue rocks to the east of the camp. Saw eagles and ospreys, nothing in osprey's nest.
Went out with Stan after dark, walked until midnight - nothing seen at all. went to bed in light rain.

>  29th May 1962 Tuesday
Went out to see if I could get some birds, no luck beyond a butcher bird on the dunes, blowing from the N.W. a nasty morning. Saw buzzard, pied & sooty oystercatchers, crows -(being attacked by a ? kestrel)[Stan saw it close and says peregrine falcon], singing honeyeaters, little woodswallows, impossible to get near enough for a successful shot. situation serious. Vertebrates v. rare in this awful rockpile, even lizards few & far between, saw only two in three days & of these collected one. Fox v. daring, came into camp last night, will set a trap.

West up to valley above camp, no luck, very sticky & muggy, started to rain hard, got bedding in & managed to get specimens under cover. Made box for them with Merrilees who lined it with polythene. West up valley behind camp then South across range and down valley tending west, eventually found gorge of Watering Valley and turned down into it, entered it below the cross-gorge & back down to the north. Shot two small pardelotes in valley above camp, only one will make a skin, got back to camp after dark, out again in evening with Glen, no luck, no eyes at all, an extraordinarily barren place.

>  30th May 1962 (Wednesday)
Went up Watering Valley with Merrilee looking for birds, saw "Japanese carving" agree with Glen that this is pseudo. [copies of script, Fisher script]
The Beagle inscription found by Glen is v. good, it is indistinct but it looks like [sketch of inscription].

On to "cross gorge", entered up right fork to the very top, collected small grey bird - lark-like(?). Reached metal trig point on high point, can see  mangroves of mainland and also islands across bay from camp, all way up this gorge various peckings in sides of gorge. Climbed down into wide high-valley of Watering Valley gorge, bands of rock & valley floor with peckings. Entered creek on far side of valley ; collected Kistlands(?) honeyeater silonage: various plants incl. Kurrajong & ficus  came down valley to deep pool just above "cross gorge" (shore this excellent goana) Excellent emu(?) peckings - large and well executed. Just below crossgorge on S. side of gorge set high : two men [sketch of pecking]. Going down gorge passed two white gums and then crossed to western side and continued down to "Chinese carvings" and Beagle inscription. Built cairn on corner block about 6ft up wall just below Beagles.

Returned to camp and cleaned up area in preparation for minister(?). Looked at air photos and decided next two days work. Decided to go up a valley to the west of Watering Valley system this opens to the seas around the coast.

>  31st May 1961 Thursday
Got up called camp, cleaned up etc. Bob McIlrick arrived with Bill Boswell -  minister held up for 24 hrs will come tomorrow. Cleaned up species shot previous day, went to Watering Valley, filmed carvings at cross valleys. Went out of right gorge into new valley and shot owlet nightjar. Back to camp, out in evening to look for wallabies - nothing.

> 1st June 1962 Friday
A complex day, no time for .... taking(?). packed up all specimens collected,  checked all labels, prepared for arrival of minister's party. This party  arrived at 10.30am. and stayed until 2.00 pm. They visited the point with the osprey's nest and saw the carvings & the two Beagle inscriptions. They then went up into the gorge with Ian. The party comprised the Minister (E.M.H. Lewis), Commissioner of Native Welfare (Frank Gare), Director of Primary Education (Wallace), District Officer Port Hedland (Ted Roberts) & press & TV. We then packed up and got off about 5.30. Great difficulty at the end at Balla Balla - press landrover bogged, stayed night at Sherlock River.

>  2nd June 1962 (Saturday)
Drove in to Roebourne with Glen and girls. Balls promised to look after them, showers etc & to get Glen (bad eye), and Merrilee (irritating sandfly bites) to hospital and then down to the boat. Went back for the others, had a bite of breakfast & then got the whole lot down to the creek behind Samson, loaded boat and got away at 10.10 hrs.

>  Dolphin Island.
Sailed around the other end of Dolphin & then into Flying Foam Passage, went ashore on beach with small lagoon with mangroves towards end of passage. Tide out, an awful portage across the sand and shallows in drizzling rain. Set camp up and tent fly up. Rain set in, all stores under fly for night.

>  3rd June Sunday 1962.
Rained hard all night - lay in until about 8.00 got breakfast for party.

Plotter notes to be taken by parties. Glen & Helen (Southern), Ride & Merrilee (about due SW across island Bob (almost due east). plan to cross to coast & look for carvings(?).  Merrilee & I left camp crossed over to the Western Broad Valley opposite Boat passage. Native carvings in rock column at Northern end of Northern pile (under cloud in air photo 5083). [page of sketches of rock carvings] Crossed over to the Eastern mangrove flood plain in Boat Passage, met Bob Royce on way. He had got too far south. Was pleased to get one specimen of the Cassia in flower, went down hill to the western side of the flat floor, crossed over at low tide to a small heap of rocks among the mangroves, found further carvings, saw Petrogale lateralis, v. distinctly: white facial stripe & lateral stripe v. clear indeed.[2 pages of drawings by Merrilee MacDonald]

Returned to camp across island heading due West. Shot Brown Honeyeater at dusk and then a female robustus young WR90: HF22, E95, TL114, Tail 57, Wt 5.4 kg. Skin & skull.

Helen reported foxholes & diggings. Glen & Helen found an aggregation of carvings at a creek below the camp in Flying Foam Passage. Bob Royce reported scattered carvings much as we did. Decided to spend next day in going to photograph Glen's site & then to try to get a male Robustus for Merrilee.

>  4th June (Monday)
Walked down to Glen's site at creek below camp in F.F. Passage, v. depressed, the carvings so far are v. poor compared with those at Depuch. They seem to be related - some fish, turtles, kangaroos etc and stick men, but also some curious "gobbies" which appear to be local. completed a b&w panx and then discovered that we were out of b&w, completed it in Ektachrome.Walked back to camp via the western edge of the broad valley hoping to get a euro. Shot a female robustus WR91, new born joey in pouch, carried it back to camp Wt 13kg, HF 24, E 11, TL 135, Tail 64, Joey later lost.

Absolutely whacked - as is the whole party. Feet are very sore from those dreadful stones, so much more difficult to move in than Depuch. These weather round and the spinifex is full of gibber like stones and the great rock piles are poorly locked and are very unstable to walk on.

>  5th June 1962 Tuesday
Shot 5 corellas from a flock of about 30 feeding near camp. Tried to walk around for a euro, no luck. Bob & Glen left after b'fast for north of island.

Bill Miller & Bob McIlrick arrived to take us to Legendre, complete misunderstanding. They will be back tomorrow to take us to Angel or Gidley.

Bob took us down to the creek where he sheltered from the cyclone. We entered it at high water, a beautiful little mangrove creek between high rock piles opening out into a broad valley, photographed entrance with boat in both Ektachrome & Plus x. This marks the start of a new Plus x(2) and the beginning of this sequence in Ektachrome.

Examined rock piles along the western edge of the water and at the beginning of the broad valley, a truly remarkable set of carvings & probably many hundreds more. Nearest to the sea there are v. archaic carvings, weathered out so far that there is little colour difference between them and the surrounding surface. 3 rocks unlike anything I have ever seen before a curious looking thing rather like the artemias one sees in salt lakes. Also a remarkable pair of tall thin people. Masses of kangaroos, most beautifully executed, some stick figs. (holding hands) are[sketch] and various unusual designs.

Altogether v. good locality. Took a whole cassette of b&w and recorded all main types. Photographed across boat passage up Wide Valley . The artemia-like creature (drawn from memory) is in the following plan [sketch]. Unfortunately Rob had to get the boat out again at high water & I had no time to sketch. Collected a robusta skull. Shot turtle. These are plentiful in this creek which Bob agrees should be called Turtle Creek. Left Turtle Creek at 12.30, on up coast to place in mangroves N. of our Camp Beach in Flying Foam Passage. Had luck on Hill top overlooking beach and Flying Foam, a most lovely place. Frank Norton Sketching. Walked down to convergence of many gorges above the beach, a great rock pile overlooking the sea, and the only thing in the centre of the rockface - a most humorous "gobbie" dancing [sketch].

Photographed peckings, lowest (ie nearest sea) is a good v. big kangaroo, some anthropomorphic "gobbies" [sketch]. The drawings are not high in number, about 1 doz. in all but of v. good quality. Location [sketch map]. Immediately facing the dancing gobbie at loc. A is a steeplejack tree (Vertilago viminalis) under which there were some old & first peckings which I could not photograph due to light [sketch]. Finished & walked back to camp. The rockpile back at camp also contains several peckings [sketch].

>  6th June 1962 Wednesday.
Blowing hard from the east. Do not expect Miller to come over now. Explored rock piles around camp.[sketches].Went back to Glen & Bobs "Stanley Chasm " to find the carvings I missed yesterday. Photographed many carvings, outstanding examples were a tern with a fish in its beak, a man with beard & various other anthropomorphic figs. Also present were typical Hedland turtles, dingoes, kangaroos etc.Gorge also contains various inscriptions by Europeans eg. W.H.1860, HT 1872.[sketch] contents of a single panel. Went back to finish off the gorge with the dancing "gobbie". Big fallen block at entrance to gorge is outstanding with 3 anthropomorphs. [sketch a turtle & 2 dogs]. Heard boat engine : Bill Miller, Les & Peter (Buck) had the advantage of a drop in the wind to come in and go through to Samson. Decided to take Frank Norton back  into Samson because there was every likelyhood of wind continuing & making it impossible for him to get to Roebourne in time for plane on Monday. Sorry to see him go -  he has been a v. good member of the party and a stabilising influence. I am also very pleased with his paintings ; to me they are a very fine record of how the party has felt about its islands. Wrote a hurried letter to Margaret, asked her to get in touch with Ray. Also sent all film exposed to date with a note to Bob requesting return of b&w shots to Roebourne.
>  7th June 1962 Thursday.
Morning started dull with slight rain . Got tent re-set up because wind had about demolished it. No sign of Bob, does not appear to be a hope of getting to Angel & Gidley today, much too strong a wind.

After lunch gave up waiting so shot several birds ie 2 singing honeyeaters and a willie-wagtail to keep the girls busy and then went out with Glen to see if I could get a male euro. Burnt spinifex looking for lizards - now have 20 Diplodactylus elderi probably more than all the museums of the world put together!

Glen's reptile score is now 14 :
Varanus gouldii, Gehyra variegata, G.(?) punctata, Diplodactylus elderi,
Phyllodactylus ocellatus, Tiliqua banchialis (?), Spheromorphus lesueri,
Ctenophorus isolepis, Ablepharus bontoni, A. taeniopleurus, A. greyii,
Amphibolurus sp.(?), Demansia psammophis, Chelonia mydas.

Collected a male M. robustus [WR92] Total length c.171 cm., HF, 27,: E 111/2, no tail length taken, skinned out in field because too heavy to bring back entire - 40 mins. woth a 2 in. pocket knife ! Steep slope with spinifex (Triodia) and rocky boulders.

>  8th June 1962 (Friday)
Cleaned up camp and prepared to move out. Bob McIlrick came in with boat and we decided to go over to Angel and Gidley for a brief spell before full tide when it would become possible to get to Legendre. Storr & Ride went, Royce & girls stayed on Dolphin.

Angel Island.
Landed on North western beach(in the passage between Angel & Gidley), no sign of macropod scats, rat holes everywhere in sandy flat, flora seems different  from that on Dolphin, fox scats, grasses everywhere but appears to be ungrazed eg Themeda on Dolphin has very little height but here it is knee height. Walking in gullys is very difficult owing to grass covering boulders. Spent 20 mins. on island, artifacts common above beach.

Gidley Island. Landed on beach opposite that on Angel, spent 20 mins on island, just like Angel grasses everywhere, fox scats, no sign of Aboriginal inhabitants.
Legendre.
Landed on Legendre approx 3 pm, v. varied vegetation, no sign of mammals, got camp up, collected some snails, wolf spiders everywhere.

>  9th June 1962 (Saturday)
Rained during the night, collected water in tent fly, we are a bit short & could be in trouble if boats are unable to come for us on Wednesday. Dried bedding, showers in the morning, walked out across the island to a red-soil depression in the centre, large number of rodent burrows in the sandy soil.

After lunch went out again with Glen. This island is predominantly made of an indunated (?) aeolianite with sand along beaches, some slight mangrove mud, valleys which are depressions filled with a sandy red loam. The ridges are of hard aeolianite with pisolites and flow laminae visible, no sign of the B. & D. fossil Boths. On the northern side of the island are sea cliffs with a wide salt spray zone of exposed aeolianite and a characteristic flora. The clifftop is also dotted with cast up boulders as on Bernier & Dorre. The burrows of mice are common everywhere there is any soil & they are often beneath Sarcostemma or Triodia. Found a skull in the ground and obtained a small murid by burning out a Triodia patch in the splash zone, it staggered out of its burrow somewhat chat was shot at, dived back into a burrow and was dug out , it made no attempt to bite or made no sound.[WR 93]1+3=8 (these could be wrong) HF 25.5, E 16, total length 21.5, tail 10, scales 12-13 per cm.

Photographed b&w, fixed in formalin, uteri richly vascularized with 3 small placentae showing though as one born and one in the other.[Colour not different from the 2 males caught on 10th June only apparent difference, rather subjective, is that  the guard hairs are less prominent and the head seems less heavy] Tail stripped when being handled

Collected three flakes from surface, appear to be granite or at least a dark igneous rock, quite foreign to Legendre. no sign of carvings and difficult to see any surface of rock hard enough to take them. Set 3 live traps baited with bread and 3 breakback mouse traps, 1 with apple & 2 with dried peach all set around corners in the central soil filled depression. Walked about with torches after dark - no sign of movement. There is a half moon, already well risen early in the evening. This may be keeping them in.

>  10th June Sunday 1962.
Shot singing honeyeater, visited traps : 1 live trap set off with murid in it. 3 breakbacks all set off one with an adult male in it, others empty. Adult  male covered with ants but appears likely to make a good skin [WR94], male, HF 26 mm. E 16.5 total length 250cm, tail 120 cm, wt 86 g., tail scales 9-10 per cm., underfur white to roots dorsal fur, very long dark guard hairs (approx 3 cm long) overlying greybased yellowish tipped dorsal hair, tail hairs about 1 1/2 scales long, incisors brownish, testes descended, skin & skull.

Photographed fore & hind feet in b&w and sde view of WR94. [WR95] male ht 28mm, E.15.5, total length 240 cm, tail 110 cm, wt 65 g, tail scales 10-11 per cm., testes descended, colour as in WR94, skin & skull. When picked up by the tail the tail stripped its skin ? escape mechanism. Walked over to ocean side of island filming. Set 3 live traps & 3 break backs.

>  11th June 1962 Monday
Trapped two Rattus in live traps, 2 break backs set off but mouse traps are really too small for this job. Ectoparasites - ! two species of tick and 1 of flea (some copulating) collected [WR96] female 2+3=10. Total length 24.5 cms, tail 12, HF25.5, E. 16.7, wt 69 g. trapped in central depression in island, red sandy loam, many burrows, live trap baited with dried fruit. Skin, skull preserved, uterus richly vascularized, 1 pigment path in one uterus and 3 in the other ? early pregnancy. [WR97] male, total length 22 cm., tail 10.5, HF27, ear 16.5 wt.49 gm. Underfur seems much thicker and longer than in WR96, young animal, testes closely applied to lower abdomen on either side of tail, no sign of descent into scrotal pouches.

Walked down into sand plain at foot of escarpment and behind the major area of mangroves on the south side of the island. Good caves along the escarpment which varies from 6-12 ft high as a small cliff. Saw rat in dusk, Glen saw 2 in daylight. Collected rat bones (in large numbers) from the caves and also saw others which are possibly human. Set 6 traps, 2 in the sand plain.

>  12th June 1962 Tuesday
0520 hrs Got up, got breakfast going to meet the boats if they come. Visited  traps, the home traps in the centre of the island contained 2 species of Spenomorphus (?) isolepis ! The only live trap contained nothing, bait - prunes - not touched. Went down to the sand plain by the big mangrove patch, 2 traps, two rats. [WR98] male, scrotal testes, wt 83 g, tail 26.5 13.1 cm, HF 28 mm, E 17 mm. [WR99], male, scrotal testes, Wt 63 gr, TL 23.3 cm, Tail 11.3 cm., HF 28... E 16.5 gm. Both caught in sand plain between limestone escarpment & the sea (mangroves), extensive warren systems, both traps baited with diced peach.Boats arrived and loaded with great difficulty owing to rapidly falling tide. Got both boats out to the islands between Legendre and Gidley by walking alongside & pushing. Aborigines will easily do the crossing. A few auks about & turtles plentiful. Landed on Malus, picked up the stores & then on to Lewis. Landed on Lewis in the bay which is greatly indented in the northeastern coast of the island. We have an excellent campsite at the eastern edge of the beach clear of the mangroves but close enough to enable us to collect mangrove birds and wood. Walked out and examined the plain behind the beach - numerous fresh rat holes and climbed the range immediately behind the camp and down into the valley on the opposite side. This is filled with dense spinifex and steppe vegetation - clearly not been burnt for many years if ever, and there are numerous rat holes. No sign of scats of macropods anywhere, a few rat droppings among the rocks in the range and many in the valley and on the coastal plain. No sign of macropod grazing. I would say there is no robustus on this island. Set the traps on the coastal plain, bait peaches. Got tent up. Collected stone curlews.

>  13th June 1962 Wednesday
A beautiful night, crisp, no rain or dew, slept soundly right through and awakened by corellas flying overhead at first light. Got fire going and breakfast on, then visited traps, nothing and no trace of a visit, must reset in valley. Worked out routes with Glen and Bob. Glen will do the edges of the Northwestern semi island and rocky headland to the west of that. I will get the traps into the next valley (seen last night) and will cross to the coast immediately opposite the camping beach (s.e. side of island) and work back to camp around the northeastern headlands. Walked out up the valley to its southern end and set traps then climbed highest hill in sight. From top could see that the passage to E. Lewis was completely above water except for some 20 or 10 feet at the East Lewis end. This will not have been more than 2 or 3 ft. below surface. The stack north of E. Lewis is also walkable too. Had lunch on the rocks of excellent rock oysters, nuts, dried fruit & an apple - meal fit for an aristo. Continued along the beach, examined an osprey's nest, no birds, no sign of scats among the rocks. Found the first drawing among the rocks at the eastern end of shingle beach. Curious drawing not seen before : micaquates (?) & curious fine drawing, another in the top of the rocks [sketches].Returned to camp via northern headland, no carvings.

>  14 June 1962 Thursday
Caught 2 rats in the live traps. These are much darker than the Legendre rats. [WR100] Female wt 100 g. 2+3=10 as in Legendre rat, TL26.5 cm, Tail 12.5 HF 27.5 mm E 18mm, Scales per cm=10. Skin, skull, carcase in spirit. Uteri much larger than in the L. animal, 5 pigment spots in one and 2 in the other. Vascularization weak compared with Legendre. This rat is much more shaggy haired than the Legendre rat and seems to be a very much gentler creature The female has a pale tip to its tail but this may just be an individual variant. [WR101]Male, wt 115 gm, T L 26.5 cm, HF 27 mm, E 18mm, scales per cm 9-10, testes scrotal, skin, skull, carcase in spirit. Went back into valley with Royce and then over to coast to locate the carvings accurately in the air photos. Did this & then back to camp, no further carvings. Bob McIlrick came in the evening, fishing v. bad, he is willing to work for us, laid in a full day. Rosemary then Enderby followed by the Intercourses if there is time.

>  15th June 1962 Friday
Rosemary.
0730 Bob turned up, off to Rosemary, quite a surge, landed in beach on northern side. Royce did a circle around from the beach, Stan went over to the north western point to look at the rocks for carvings and to collect lizards. Ride went down the main rocky ridgefrom the north beach and then across to the main massif. Rock wallabies (P. rothschildi) very common, their tracks numerous among the low coastal vegetation, droppings everywhere. Climbed rock piles and rothschildi everywhere, stood still & they were very inquisitive and came down and looked at me, some got within 12 feet or so. Took numerous photographs - b&w and col. should have an excellent series. Characteristic arms straight out in front when agitated, pose exactly like the woodstock animals in the yards at Zoology. Animals paid little attention to me. One of the animals - a large one - was very pugnacious about a position among the rocks, gave other animals physical hell which intruded. Hope I got a photo of them fighting. Collected a curious new land mollusc on the top end on the southern side of the massif, v. flat  on top - unlike anything I have seen. Saw a deep (rich) brown Egernia about 8 inches long with thin tapering tail., v. short snout with yellowish labial scales.[Glen says (?) stinolata group]. Found carvings on s.w. of massif. There is some coastal limestone here like Legendre in valley. Picked up boat out south western beach. Tracks of wallabies v. plentiful. Time on island approx 4 hours.

Enderby.
On to Enderby. Landed at E. end of major northern beach, walked across island to large pillar of rocks visible in hills in south. Crossed large claypan. No carvings seen but artifacts numerous. Wallaby tracks everywhere, wallabies seen by Glen, Merrilee and Helen who seem to think it is Rothschildi, Merrilee says it is naturalis but she didnt see the face or side view at all. These were all coming coastal indirectly. Picked up skulls, time on island 2 hours. The carvings on Rosemary are good quality but I had very little time to do more than locate them. There seems to be a predominance of anthropomorphs in the small series I saw, but I saw and photographed an excellent turtle. I am certain that a longer visit would reveal many more. Back to Lewis.

>  16th June 1962 Saturday
0600 hrs Got up and awakened camp. Bill Miller and Bob McIlrick turned up and took whole party & stores etc to "Collier' over anchored at Malus.

Sailed for Samson. Arrived Samson, very heavy swell, difficult to get ashore, left kit for next day and disembarked for hotel.

>  17th June 1962
Drove out to Black Hill Pool, sketched main types starting at the white gum on the further side of the pool and about 80 yards beyond the water, blazed with R. [10 drawings].  Merrilee Macdonald's freehand drawings in front of Oakover Notebook....

Wt. without driver and with main tank 1/2 empty = 1 Tn. 9cwt 98lbs.
Wt. with preserving tanks, ration box without rations & kit for Lees & Douglas &collecting equipment = 1 Tn.14 cwy, 28 lbs.
i.e. wt of kit =4cwt 42 lbs.
Expected wt of rations = 11/2 cwt, H204 petrol=200lbs
Wt of permanent fixtures of vehicle =.

> 11th July 1959
Perth to Murchison. left Perth 0630hrs, got petrol at Geraldton and then on to Murchison. Arriving between 4.50 & 5.00. Country all the way up in beautiful condition, very open, free water lying everywhere.

28 parrots, cuckoo shrikes in fairly large numbers. Kestrels also frequently seen. Christmas trees and York gums also seen between Geraldton and Murchison. Walked along the Murchison to the East with Bernie Bowen. Crows roosting in the trees & large numbers of cuckooshrikes also roosting in Casuarina cristata, E. microtheca (Coolebah) along river with nesting hollows chipped out. E. camaldulensis (N.S.W. red gum) also there.

Shot a crow ("raven") in spotlight, brown irides, also cuckoo shrike because of kensts "and barrier".

We came up in too vehicles Bernie's Holden van and Museum Land Rover, both working well.
The team for the islands is:
Ride. leader & mammals
Hugh Tyndale Biscoe  Mammals
Bob Royce. Botany
Gerlof Mees  Birds
Athol Douglas  Reptiles
Bernie Bowen. Fisheries Dept. Observer.

Raven Corvus coronoides Wing 330 grey bases to breast feathers.

> 12th July 1959
Rose 6.00 am, very dark. Breakfast.
Gerlof and Hugh rose last, remarked that married men seemed to find it easier. Left Murchison about 9.00 having zeroed guns. Had trouble with my .22 barrel not striking properly, striker worn. As for about one hour & stopped about 67 miles N. of Murchison. Saw crows, weebills, butcher birds, redtailed black cockatoos, cuckooshrikes. Athol shot cookoo shrike. Country with York gums & acacia mixture, soon after came to belt of sandplain, great contrast, no trees. Low callitris etc..
Soon afterwards passed into dry belt proper with saltbush and other small low shrubs. This has continued all the way to moving camp about 15 m. before Carnarvon. This place (camp) has a low sandhill with acacia which is inhabited by numbers of birds & red kangaroos. Cookooshrikes plentiful. Shot white-winged truller at dusk. Also caught crimson clart roosting. Shot in brilliant scarlet like those at Fatisme in Sempt.

Earlier in day saw large numbers of red kangaroos and also a large fox in excellent conditions, loc. about 20 m. south of Carnarvon.

Searched for small mammals at night with light but no luck.
Will try to get cookooshrike in morning.

> 13 July
Arrived Carnarvon. Met Boksette (of Lands and Surveys Dept who is to take Astrofixes of headlands in Islands) and his two assistants. Also Dave Wright of "Lancelin" boat unable to sail that day. Spent time buying provisions etc. Then went out to Gascoyne, saw bee-eaters, kestrels, "bush canaries" and a grey brown thrush (?).

In evening went back to Whaling Station & saw some pictures taken in Berniers Dune by Ron Cooper (Cooper who applied for licence to oyster farm on Berniers). Cooper says that there are 3 macropods(?) and bandicoots at home on island. 2 of the macropods live in rocks down near waters edge & the other makes burrows under spinifex on plateau of island. Bandicoots also in spinifex once can be caught by walking in the spinifex.

They (the macropods) are fine and will come up to the fire at night.

He has seen no snakes but has seen a goanna "like a racehorse goanna".

Talked about whaling. The station is still doing well but they will not get their quota of 1,000 this year. The stocks have been too heavily hit in the Antarctic apparently some 1700 humps were taken down in the Antarctic by the fleet into the 4 day season. Apparently, when the station was set up it was believed that it would only have a useful life of 6 years. It has run for 10.

We suspect they can probably just keep on working on 400 per year by cutting down on everything.

Back on board at 10.30 & to bed - quick.

> 14 July
Sailed at 0630 , feeling rough with following wind. Did not take  Daminine and was sick on way over. Sea dropped when we got close to Dune.

The coast is forbidding, grey green vegetation on top & almost continuous high cliffs broken by reastruts (?) which occasionally run down to the waters' edge.

To White-beach to dump Boksette & party. Took series of shots of south end of Dune up to White beach. best shot key of H2O going ashore (8).
  (9) Castle point & cliffs to south, 100....
  (10) Quoin bluff looking south 100 56/8
  (10) Quoin bluff from opposite disaster cove
  (11) Drinks cove

Landed at cove & set up camp in a place well above the water and among dunes to give some shelter. Signs of tracks of lizards, mice & wallabies everywhere.
Went out about 6.30 & had a walk around with Hugh & Bernie. Saw about half a dozen wallabies between us, not much cover for them in olearia & spinifex and very shy in the half moon. Eventually three animals fairly close & shot one with .410 - was

Bettongia lesueur, F. with hairless pouch young F. wt 17 gm, HF23 (pouch young could squeak) Adult F. 55.5 length ; Tail 26.5 ;HF 9.6 : Ear 3.1 : Wt 1020g. [Coll. No. W.R. 18].

Hugh flushed out uterus - uncompleted blastocyst. Great excitement, first record for Potoroidae. [see W.R.27]. Skinned specimen and then to celebrate went out with net. Caught 3 Lagostrophus, 2F.F. one with large haired young and other immature with very small pouch. This was in scrub (very low) to the north of Disaster Cove. Head torch & quokka net. Discovered Leica IIIf. missing, very upset, probably in Bernie's vehicle in Carnarvon, to bed at 11.30.

The Lagostrophus mixture: F killed next day. Serum extracted by H.T.B. [Coll. No WR19] Wt 1200g. ; length 65.5 ; Tail, 30 ; HF. 10.4 ; Ear 4.7 : Skin & skull, skeleton, strath nug. preserved.
Lagostromus F with furred young [Coll. no. WR20] Germ extracted by HTB. Wt. 1600 g. ; length, 71.5 ; Tail, 33.5 ; HF, 10.85 ; Ear 4.2 : Skin & skull, skeleton & ug preserved. Pouch young in spirit. M testes removed. Wt: 530 g. ; length, 48.5 ; Tail, 23 ; HF. 9.1 ; Ear 3.6.

> 15th July
Out with Hugh & Bernie. Explored base of cliffs opposite Disaster Cove & walked south. Collected land shells and also fossil shells from the limestone. It appears to be lateritized. Shot heron, yellowish feet & soles of feet yellow, rest of legs grey and greenish grey in patches. tangled spinifex and low rushes find some of them to contain burrows. Dug out fresh one and found f Bettongia with large young in pouch.

[Coll. No WR21] Sketch of burrow: ends of burrow about 1 1/2 ft below surface, gradual slope from entrance ; Female exposed, young kept, well furred, Wt 82 g., Length 26.5, Tail 12.5, HF 6.5, Ear 1.8.

Shot several lizards? Ablepharus & Amphibolurus. Collected a Gehyra from an empty Boodie hole. .

Shot a bronze cookoo in a low bush, legs grey, iris red-brown,appears to be a F with egg low in U.S. Systems, new record for the island.

Set traps 16 Box traps & 22 Hayworth all baited with apple, aniseed used in some of the box traps.
Shot 2 Calamanthus, a beautiful clear song at sunset, run around tussocks & sit with tail cocked up like wren. Iris yellow, legs low coloured. Gleined emals  all evening, at 11.45 saw brilliant dull red sky through breaks in cloud between 240* & 140* extending almost 40* above the horizon. Lasted about 5 mins.

Caught immature Lagostromus [Coll. W.R.22]

> 16th July
Lights seen again by Bernie & HTB at 1.15 am and again Lancelin at 4.00am.

Boat arrived at 8.40 having left Carnarvon at 04.00. Very windy previous night , wondered if boat would come.

1 Bottingia caught in cane trap, m., baited with apple.[Coll. No. WR 23]
9.30. T. 73* (min.67*f) RH. 60 0/0
12-- Temp 78*f, T. at 1200 77*f, min 67*f, RH 54 0/0New Kodachrome. 2 photo of osprey's nest (1) f8 at 100 (2) f8/56 at 100.
Shot Calamanthus, legs and bill bone grey, iris yellowish.
Shot Amphibolus like skink(1) in low vegetation on sandhill.
T at 1300hrs 74*F RH 53 0/0 10
T at 1600hrs RH 70 Max 78*, min 66* T at 1600 73*
T at 1800 hrs. 70*f  RH 80 0/0

Very tired had sleep in afternoon.

Hugh, Athol & Bob taken to White Beach by Lancelin & walked back.

Hugh shot 1 Lagostromus [W.R. 24] nr Quoin Bluff, m. wt.1500, length 67, Tail 30.5, HF 9.6, Ear 2.9 Testes removed and caught a Lagostromus F. with pouch young [WR 26] near Castle Point. Wt 1950, length 74.5, tail 34.5, HF 10.8, Ear 4.7. Young F. wt 66, HF 5.2, Ear: 1.7, tail 9.3, length 20.4. This pouch young was hairless but able to squeak, sense of balance nearly well enough to stand. Blood extracted.

Walked out with Niel McLauchlan caught 1 m Bettongia* in headlight with net [WR 27]. Long chase, discovered that the animals will not keep still if two torches are on. Very noticeable yellow rump when being chased.

Set 24 rat traps - Breakbacks with bacon. Put in sack to be dealt with at  later date.  To bed.
[Coll. no. 27 cont.]

This was found to be a specimen of Lagorchestes hirsutus see p. Wt.1700 g. Total L. 66, Tail 27, Ear 4, HF 10.9. Testes removed for Shannon and Cleland, Blood preserved. Strach (?) preserved very large nematodes(?) 2" long, very large fat ticks collected.
All earlier animals referred to as Lagorchestes are actually Lagostrophus fasciatus.

> 17th July 1959
1 more Bettongia m. in cage trap. [Coll. No 28] length 59, Wt. 930 g., Tail 29.5, HF 9.9, Ear 3, Testes freed * whole specimen preserved in formalin. Felt very ill, could not see clearly and dreadful headache & feeling of lassitude. Found myself infested with ticks. Spent the day skiving and soon felt better after all ticks removed. Caught many ticks during the day. Nothing in the rat traps but the Bettongias appear to be taking the bacon.

At end of every meal interrogated Hugh, Bob & Athol on their long walk.
Hugh :
White beach.. Tracks of second side of banks of dead Posidonia washed up on beach. Impressions of noses where they had been pushed under the weed. To the north of white beach large numbers of boodie warrens. Spinifex (Triodia) association with low shrubs. Took specimens from Tank. H.T.B. says that most specimens seemed to be all brought in but there were some marinated skeletons. Certain areas of the floor were left untouched. 2 Tanks each approx. 12 'by 10' with 2' square opening at top. Biscoe then moved N.W. to opposite coast & then moved north. Thick scrub about 2 chains in from coast Acacia & Diplolaena. Crossed the Island over high sand dunes to a point about midway between Castle Point & Peaked Cliff. Hibiscus in centre is about 7ft high. Lipfert's estimate of 1 1/2 mph at this point could be measurable. Between Peaked Cliff & Quoin Bluff there are a large number of small valleys with dense scrub. there appear to be quite large numbers of Bettongia & Lagostrophus. At Q Bluff he also saw the small macropod which runs and not hops. One was also seen opposite Castle Point, probably the Lagerstrophus [see footnote to WR27] at Quoin Bluff in one of the valleys (south of id) saw small mouse [actually Perameles].Seemed to be large for mouse (seen in light of truck) looked like a Sminthopsis (with eyes seemed large) very bunched up. Colour seemed pale compared with other animals seen, no real idea whether the animal was shorthaired or rough coated. Seemed to run down and burrow under a bush.

From Quoin Bluff walked back along E. coast, quite a lot of animals heard.
Generally macropods seemed to be confined to the edges of the island, droppings seemed scarce in the centre. [ Note: Hugh wore sandshoes & probably avoided most of the thick areas].

Bob Bryce:
Moved up the central shrub area touching the W. Coast slightly to the N. of Castle Point. Then moved back into Aencia near Peaked Cliff. Back to the Centre again moving along the western ridges again. Mammals seemed to be densest in the lower type of vegetation not tree type i.e. in bushes where branches are right down to the ground, rarely associated with thickets o hibiscus or pittosporum but in acacia and diplolaena (native rose), eucalypts and leptosperm. Saw more than 15 altyeten.

Athol
Moved up centre & across to a point roughly opposite Castle Point. Saw no animals until opposite crater point.(Royce also found this) All seemed to be Logostrophus , on each occasion (except one time) single animals only were started. (Royce also found this). Animals always started out of mixed spinifex or even out of big spinifex. Animals invariably dodge twisting and turning among spinifex clumps. Headed towards Low Point but before reaching W. coast turned back and reached E. coast probably slightly north of Peaked Cliff, moved along the coast to Disaster Cove.

Goats
No sign seen by anyone H.T.B. & no pads along west coast but no sign of goats
Dogs and foxes
No sign . Some small macropods leave a pseuds.nose by double imprinting
Dead macropods.
Bob saw two not collected
Athol: 6 animals collected
H.T.B. I give note of white beach.
Douglas made a 200 square i.e. 800 walk put up 2 animals only in that distance, made in a most favorable area.

Went out with HTB & Bernie. Spotlight shot Perameles bouganvillei in low scrub (m.) blown out sand dunes N of Disaster Bay. After Hugh had seen it he says scale of dent(?) mouse of day before was Perameles. Bowen too also see some before at North End. [Coll. no. 29] Wt 220g. Body & Tail 29.7 cms. Tail 9, Ear 3.2, HF4.8. Testes removed & fixed for Sherman & Cleland. Took 6 photographs of bandicoot (1 fisheries, 1 Hugh, 2 Ride, 2 Douglas)
Saw a small bat at "Tunnel" north of Disaster Bay, appeared to be E. paulia.
Hugh caught Lagostrophyus with handnet.[Coll. No 30] (tagged Zool.1414m adult. Wt 1600, Tail 30, Ear 5, HF10.6 ( kept alive for Zool. Dept.)

> 18 July
Went around traps. Seagull killed by Breakback baited with bacon. Mus albocinerius caught in Hayworth baited with apple. 2nd night of setting. [Coll. No 31]f  apparently gravid Teats 2+2. Length 157 [very tip of tail appear to be white] Tail 7.5 Weight: 30 g., HF: 2.15, Ear: 155.
Trap was set on W side of island opposite Disaster Bay near the small undrout cliff with the Boodie Holes. The species does not appear to be common.

Chlorofied. The eyes went pearly grey about 1/2 hour after death. Hugh took photos for H.T.B., S. Baker, Fisheries Dept, and self.

Found to contain 5 large young 3 left, 2 right, CR lengths 21, 20, 19, 21, 19. Took photos of raised reef for Guest. Re-examined the cliffs on west side opposite Disaster Cove.

The large Bothuenkymus(?)-like fossil shells in them seem to occur with a breccia of stones in filled solution pipes (Photo), though some of these must have been of remarkable extent.
Dug out further Boodie holes under spinifex [sketch]. Lifted Hayworths and rat traps. Bettongia caught in cage trap in morning [Coll WR 32]m., Wt 1100, Length ?, Tail 27, HF 10.1, Ear 2.6, released.

Shot [Lagorchestes] m. Extracted testes [Coll W.R. 33] Shot 1830. Preserved in formalin before measurements taken.

Returned to camp and discovered that the so-called Bettongia 27 is actually Lagorchestes hirsutus and that all the others to date are actually Lagostrophus fasciatus. Hugh discovered this as he marked it with an entry for release. He and I decided that we had sufficient Bettongia and would release the captives after marking. He was doing this while I was away from camp. The field characters of the species may be summarised:

Bettongia: Very short ears, rounded ears generally pale brown all over, backs well developed with strong white front claws, tail with white hairs which may be very sparse but which form a crest on the dorsal surface of the tail, soles of feet white.
Lagostrophus fasciatus

When seen looks dark. Ears fairly long and kangaroo-like. Hair in the upper surfaces of the hind feet a beautiful golden brown, front claws and soles of feet black. Tail with a dark terminal crest of dorsal hairs. Banding may be well marked especially in young animals but not necessarily well marked in old animals.
Lagorchestes hirsutus

Pale brown in field very much like a boodie but with long ears like a banded hare-wallaby not short or rounded. hands not large & claws are black & soles of feet dark. The tail is only thinly coated with hair, there is a very faint crest of white hair on the underside of the tip.

The most conspicuous field mark at night is the very pale area around the cloak which is framed in orange pantaloons. This orange hair is much longer than any other hairs elsewhere on the body.
Tail complete. Compared with male taken earlier. Colours are identical.U.g system removed for sectioning for blastomyst. Corpus intern large. 2 young preserved in brine, F preserved in formalin.
Went out with Bernie & caught F Pemales [Coll No WR 34] about 20.00 west of the only main range of the island opposite the Boodie Warren also saw another.. Seems that these occur in the spinifex country and low scrub with Hibiscus & Frankenia along the edge of the sandhills.

Length 31, Tail 9.3, Weight 230 g.,HF 4.9, Ear 3.5. When caught in spotlight she ran frantically in all directions and was caught by me in my hand. She sprang up to 1 1/2 ft high, pouch opened backwards, 2, eyes shut, hairless.

Also caught F Bettongia with young, 6 very small, not furred [Coll.WR 35]

> 19th July
Took Lancelin to beach south of Quoin Bluff & landed in a clime. Spinifex (Triodi), association right down to the sea. In Quoins small thickets in the northern slopes & in the bottoms. On top there is a continuation of the major spinifex plain which runs up to the north end of the major spinifex plain to the north end of the Island.

Bob, Bernie and self landed. Bob says spinifex plain continues down to White Beach & up to the major midrib of the Island where the real thickets occur. Changed film (3) and took (1) Spinifex plain looking south (2) Lancelin at bottom of dune. (3) Mostly reached thicket of  native rose at west side of chie(?), may runs in the spinifex which is quite high. Collected depps(/) and photographed (4) and (5) (one for Athol).

Shot Calathamnus singing on top of low bush among spinifex 12.10 hrs:
Bill dark brown, legs brown, eyes yellowish. Bernie collected Rhagadda and Bothuenque (?).
Shot singing honeyeater in thicket in Quoin. Honeyeater singing , bill dark brown, legs brown, soles of feet whitish, Iris sepia inside of mouth & corners of mouth yellow. 

Turned over flat exfoliated stones which cover the 10 or so acres of Quoin Bluff expected to find large numbers of lizards but not a single one. This is the only area of flags that I have seen on the island. Royce says that there are other areas in the other major points such as [Low&] point on the other side of the island and down at White Beach. Royce suggested that he has only seen lizards in sand here. Can it be that this [cromint?] did not exist at the time of separation. There were living Bothriembryon & Rhaggada under the stones.

Found small holes in cliff answering to the approx size of mouse holes, there had some droppings of mice around them and many tracks. They were all in sand and in areas clear  of vegetation, many were false ends only a few inches long but conformed to a standard pattern. We measured and followed out with care: sketch of tracks and escape pattern : [Sketch]
 
In coming crossed Island from Quoins Bluff to West Coast & back cujin(?). Very tough going took us 2 3/4 hours., left at 20.00 hrs arrived W. Coast 21.20, left W. Coast arrived Quoin Bluff 22.50. Saw a single Bettong in spinifex plain spinifex then becomes mixed with belts of a small 3ft high Eucalypt, Acacia with fairly thick but low vegetation in the valleys, saw L. fasciatis here. The last few valleys are very difficult to walk through filled with olearia sbout 2ft 6in. high.
All valleys had numerous tracks in the sand but very bright full moon made it impossible to see animals. On way back noticed that the eucalyptus belts were much chillier and "cold damper" than the contrary on either side. Possibly the reason why the eucalypts have survived.
Interested to note that each valley had different vegetation from those to east & west. Royce says that this is quite common.

In Cline to S. of Quoin saw Lagostrophus and also a light coloured wallaby which was probably Lagorchestes. This record is extremely doubtful because, although the animal had a pale rump, it disappeared suddenly and probably went down a hole. i.e. could be Bettongia.

> 20 July [next page added later]
The cliffs opposite Disaster Cove appear to be made up of a limestone "country rock" which at some time has become fissured. These fissures contain small concretinary pebbles, pebbles of country rock and shells (?) (Bothriembryon). In addition, there are rounded boulders lying about the island of a very calcareous gritstone. Before packing up camp went to W. side & collected samples of (a) the country rock of the cliffs
(b) the Both. country breccia finfissures (?)
(c) grit boulders, water rounded.

Packed up camp on Dorre and left at 11.00hrs sea flat calm & very pleasant. Disaster Cove dead flat with a very gentle swell washing ashore. Noticed that the bottom is ripple marked for the first time since we have been here. Markings appear to go down 2-3 fathoms.

Hugh tried a new census method last night. He swept tracks in the sand and recorded all crossings. The tracks stretched right across the island from Disaster Cove. The North one was 126 paces long. The southern one was 74 paces long. The lines did not go down to the sea  but stretched from the cliffs on the west to the ones on the  east, down from 1800 - 7.30 hrs.
Results:
1) Northern:  2 Pembles, 25 macropods, 1 bobtail, 1 omens
2) Southern: 3 Pembles, 8 macropods, 9 mice.
Photographed gap and then whales - coent in to Shag rocks N. of Red Cliff
Point. Saw L. novahollandae, Sterna bergii, P. varius, & 2 Larus pacifices swimming in water. Photographed shags.
Put film[3] in other camera and photographed blowout N. of Red Cliff pt (1) and stretch of coast N. near to it (2). Photographed Hospital landing (3)
Landed and set up camp. Went out & Athol shot 2 goats from a herd of 7. All were adults, 2 shot were males, both had very large heads and were old and mangy.
Went out to the area of dea major diginal blowout N of Hospital Anchorage, walking & releasing Bettongia & Lagostrophus fasciatus.
Saw 1. L. fasciatus, not marked
2. Bettongia lesueri marked 1415
3. B. lesueri not marked
4 & 5 , 6 & 7 unidentified
8.L. fasciatus (chased into sea) not marked.
9 L. fasciatus on edge of sandhills (near) south of study area.
Saw L. hirsutus on edge of sandhills, near South of the study area. Field  characters were quite clear. White rump is only visible when the animal moves. Went out onto Wedge Point and collected 2 L. fasciatus, 1 young male* for captive to Zool. Dept. & 1 adult male [Coll WR36], removed testes for G.B.S. & Cleland. wt 1800, length 70.5, Tail 35, Ear 4.8, HF10.5.
Decided to kill this * for study skin & skeleton. Beures [WR 61], Zool. no. [1416]. Wt. 1000, Length 59.5, T. 26, HF 10.5, E. 5.

> 21st July 1959
After breakfast walked over to the Hospital valley & moved up the west of the area selected by Hugh as the study area. Collected lizards with Athol in the ruins of old hospital. Usual bottles lying about. Clay pipes of the Aboriginal patients and an old waggon under a bush. A very promising area for lizards.

Moved up the valley to the north and then swing north west to the opposite coast. Vert thick vegetation, mostly dense Olearia with Acacia thicket about 3-4 feet high. Saw signs of Bettong activity wherever the scrub was a bit thin and red sand predominant. Saw 1 L. fasciatus and 1 Bettong, heard several other animals also. Picked up skulls en route.

Reached W. coast about 12.20 hrs & explored 2 large caves in the sea cliffs. Signs of goats everywhere and head of a very old animal in the rocks. No bats in caves.

On the way back passed through the first patch of triodin seen on the island - a great contrast to Dorre. Picked up two bobtails, came back through hospital ruins moving approx S.E. all the way, arrived back 14.15 hrs.

Gerlof drove a great wooden spike into the sole of his foot. Hugh and I tried to remove it but without success. Athol returned and got the spike out with great difficulty. Gerlof very brave throughout.

Athol has shot 5 goats today & I shot one that he was driving in front of him, mine was an old male. Athol got 1 old male, 1 young male,and 3 females. Females all pregnant, the young animals are all in excellent condition. Athol saw about 11 1/2 to 3/4 grown kids in the day's walk.
Went out with Hugh and Bernie to study area. Nothing caught. Saw some 3 or 4 Lagostrophus. Very windy and bright moon. No animals caught.

Tried a clay net, no success, Crumbs could not be bolted.

Hugh and Bernie have set snares & swept tinch (?) right around the 5 or so acres of the study area.

> 22nd July 1959
Gerlof still very much feeling the effects of his foot. As soon as "Lancelin" comes in he will go back to Carnarvon for treatment. Bernie will go with him. Probable that he will have to stay in Carnarvon for rest of the week.

Spent morning with Gerlof waiting. I skinned male L. fasciatus(36) and made skeleton. Midday Temp. readings: Max 75* min. 65* T at 1200 75*%RH 55*%.

PM Shot 2 Billy goats 1/2 mile from camp, 1 white & 1 brown. These were probably survivors of the herd of seven that we have been shooting for the last few days. Athol got pouch foetus of Perameles [WR37] discarded by F when she ran away from him. F young. CR length 5.2, T 3.05, HF 2.0, Wt. 11 g., E.1.1 all measurements taken from animal fixed 2 hrs previously. Photographed 2 bobtails on film 3 (4)(5).

Went out and set Hayworths and rat traps on sandhills to south of camp. Shot two L. fasciatus these were both thought to be hirsutus because of their brown colour but when handled were obviously fascinatus. The young male collected on 20 July at Wedge Point were also this curious golden brown colour. Both Hugh and I are agreed that we saw nothing like it on Dorre, almost certainly a new subspecies.

F [WR38] with 2 f pouch young. Eyes were open, squeaking, sense of balance developed but unable to stand. maternal Wt. 2100, Length 75, T.34.5, HF 11.3, Ear 47. Joey. Wt.63 g., Length 23.5, HF5.2, Ear 1.5. Appeared not to have a blastocyst.
M [WR 39] Wt. 2100, Length 79 cm., Tail 34.5 cm, HF 10.9, Ear 5.1.
23 July 1959

Caught few m. L. fasciatus in cage trap in study area, marked and released No. 1417. Wt. 1050 g., Length 54.5, HF 10, Ear 4.7, Tail 26. Good condition. Colour is nose stripe (?) greyish but flanks with reddish brown tinge. When released and ran off it looked very brown.
[Sketch of burrow] Dugout & burrow on hill W of hospital valley. H and I worked for 4 hours & H caught a mouse at the end.

Next page: Plan of mouse hole.

Found midden at hospital site which contained buried in channel bones of small macropods. They were in quite good condition. Does this mean that macropod bones are still quite good on the surface after 50 years.

Best material in nest included the Broad-leafed Euphorbiacea (exeacaria). Nearest bush was 20* away.

Mus albocinereus [WR40] m. HF1.9, E 1.55, T 8.9, Length 16.4, Wt 15 g.
Set 10 rat traps & rest of hayworths (?) baited with toast. Went out in evening. Moon did not rise until 9.30. It was dark & very warm. There did not appear to be any more animals around but they were very easy to approach. Collected 2 L. fasciatus [WR44, 45], m. m., 1 Bettong[WR46] m
Perameles [WR42] F. and [WR43] Thetomys praeconis.

All collected on Wedge Point with handnet. Also went down to the blowout between Wedge Point and the study area where bats were hunting in the still humid air. Shot 2. They were Nyctophilus geoffroyi.

N. geoffroyi F.[WR 41 A] E 21, Forearm 39, Total length 87, Tail 29, HF 6.5 mm., Wt.11g. In formalin. Uniform furnish brown above, dark bases to hairs. Below, whitish tips to hairs with dark bases, general effect greyish. Left wing broken.

N. geoffroyi m. [WR 41 B] Total length 88, Tail 4.3, HF 4.5, E 21, Forearm 35, Wt. 7 g. Same colour as the f. but the dorsal surface and the base of the ears is more greying. This is scarcely noticeable in the F. Thetomys praeconis [WR 43] f. This little mouse was caught in my hand after having been cornered in an acanthocarpus & spinifex bush. It did not attempt to bite when caught. It made no noise. Wt 40 g., length 210, Tail 115, HF 26.5, ear 19 g. Photographed in reel (3)[ see next page]

Perameles bouganville F. [WR42] Wt.250,length (H & Tail lost), HF 5, . hind feet not developed, probably very close to newborn. 2 v. small joeys C.R, 12.5 mm.Compared skin with test of Dorre specimens skin. No real difference in colour. Preserved in spirit. Other two teats elongated & suspect that the first litter had been lost.
Next page: Thetomys praeconis [WR 43] cont.
Length of hair of middle of back 12.7 mm.
Length of hair of mid belly 7 mm.  [Sketches]
 
Colour: hair on dorsal surface grey for basal 8.5 then brown with black tips especially on crown of head. Belly except in mid ventral line white-tipped hairs with grey basal parts. General appearance white, mid ventral esp. in stomach(?) area hairs white to roots. Underges(?) (cheeks) and along flanks in transition area between white and brown tipped hairs the hairs are tipped odaceous (almost orange).

Tail is darker above than below but this is not obvious at first glance. Most obvious in distal portion where dorsal hairs are distinctly sepia while ventral areas are white. [Sketch]: teats, dorsal surface of snout, brownish grey. tick collected off ear.
Lagostrophus fasciatus m. very brown, Wt.1550 length. 69, Tail 3,5, HF 10.7 Ear 4.75. Testes removed, skin and skull, wt. tests 45, photographed reel 3.
Lagostrophus fasciatus m. [Coll. WR 45] wt 1600 Length 66 Tail. 32 HF 10.5 Ear 4.8 , photographed alive Reel 3 Bettongia lesueur m. [Coll WR46] Wt.1100 length.56 Tail 25 HF 10.2. Ear. 3. Body preserved entire in formalin. Photographed dead Reel 3.
[The animals above were photographed in reverse order].

> 24th July 1959
Got up early expecting to take "Lancelin" to Red Cliff Point but blowing very hard from North East & Lancelin has had to just put to sea.

Went out to check the traps find 2 Mus albocinereus  in Hayworth, 1 mus albocinereus in Breakback & 1 Perameles F with pouched young in Breakback. It appears that Athol's statement that "Toast has been proved in these contents " is accurate !
Caught a very small & somewhat wide Amphibolus (Adelaidensis) in the sandhills, nearly white, was in a clump of spinifex in an area predominently Olearia. Ver sluggish in the loose sand and strong wind.

Started to rain. Rained very hard indeed all afternoon and evening. Took opportunity to skin and put collection in order.
Perameles bougainville F. [WR 47] 1 pouch young m. hairless eyes open not squeaking balance not developed. Wt 17 g. Total length 12.05, Tail 4.05, E 1.4, hf 2.7. Mother: Wt. 250, L. 30, T 9.7, E 3.55, HF 4.9. Caught in sandhills in Breakback net in trap baited with toast. Vegetation Spinifex longiflora and Olearia axillaris. 4 teats, 1 long teat only ... presumably litter early U.S system not enlarged. Skin and skull, body preserved in formalin & young preserved.
Mus albocinereus
[WR 48a] F. caught in Hayworth baited with toast, vegetation etc. same as above. Wt 15 g., L 16.5, T. 9.6, E. 1.5, HG 2.1. 4 teats abdominal not pregnant, uterus very thin, animal in poor condition. preserved entire. Some hairs in stomach region white to roots.
[WR 48b] F caught in Hayworth etc. Wt. 17, L. 15.7, T. 8.4, E. 1.5, HF 2, 4 teats, 4 entire(?) foetuses, 2 left, 2 right, CR lengths in utero.
Preserved entire Animal in good condition.
[WR 48c] M. caught in Breakback as above, badly broken. Wt ?, L. ?, HF 2.2, E. 1.6. Skin and skull only.

Still raining late at night. Got to bed in a lull and was quite comfortable - in fact first early night for weeks! Nice to have all the pick up skulls straight.

Lessons to be learned from sleeping in the rain. First of all, the Safari cot is so low to the end that the "damp strikes through". Secondly, as a result by moving the underside of the bag is a swamp(?). It is not enough to cover & keep the rain off with a ground sheet. Another groundsheet must be provided for below.

>  25th July
A gusty but fine morning. The bedding dried quite happily. The cond has moved right round the clock. We must have been in the middle of a cyclone. Went out with Hugh to pick up all traps to the north. Nothing in them at all. Shot a Lagostrophus. Appears to have recently lost a joey. Removed U.G. for secting. She is a very brown animal. Shot in acacia thicket [Coll. WR49] Wt. 1600 length. 67.5 T. 32 HF 10.1 Ear 4.9.

Moved us up to the Hospital on ridge. Got a pair of bobtails. At Hospital itself about 1/3 mile from the sea found one of the yellow shore crabs. These appear to be all through the Olearia scrub between the sea and the Hospital ridge. I have not seen them inland before the heavy rain came last night.

Athol had shot 3 Lagostrophus m, m, m. 1 grey [Coll. WR50] Study skin & skull shot. AMD's no AV.
Wt. 1700, Length 68, T. 34.5, HF 10.4, E.4.7.
1 brown [Coll. WR51] m. shot AMD study skin and skull. AMD no.
Wt 1900, Length 69, T 34.5, HF 10.6, E 4.8.
1 brown [Coll. WR52] m shot AMD. Cleared sands 200 yds from beach 1/2 m. S. of Hospital. Wt 2050, Length 70, T33, HF 10.7, E. 4.9.

Walked out to the south with Hugh looking for Lagorchestes which we had not yet obtained from Bernier. No signs at all. Plenty of Lagerstrophus and birds. Saw Singing honeyeater, Sericornis, and Wrens and Swallows as well as the seabirds. Pied oystercatcher, Silver gull and Pacific gull.
In the evening went out with Hugh & Bernie netting with handnet, headlamps and spotlights, a very black night with a high wind from the SouthEast. Walked along the dunes to Wedge Pt.. Caught 2 male Lagorstrophus (both released). 3 F. Lagorstrophus with joeys. One of them dropped her joey which was large & furred but Hugh saw it in the spinifex and picked it up. Also caught 1 m. Perameles. Saw another in a bush with a Lagorstrophus but it got away, 2 Bettongs, 1 m, 1 f. with joey. 2 mus albocinereus. A very successful night. Got back to camp after having fright against a howling gale at 10.30.

Absence of a moon makes a great difference. Possibly, when the spot is played on them they lose their dark adaption and become quite helpless. This is not noticeable in bandicoots. The bandicoot was caught in my hand also one of the mice. No sound from either and no attempt to bite. Bernie caught one of the mice & it squeaked.

Mus albocinereus m. [WR 53]. Caught by hand at night in sand dunes of Wedge Point. Vegetation Spinifex longifolia & Olearia axillaris. Caught W.D.L.R., testes not descended. L.15.2, T 8.5, HF 2, E 1.45, Wf 11.5.
Mus albocinereus m. [WR 54] Caught by hand at night in sand dunes s. of Wedge Point. Vegetation as above. Caught by B. K. Brown. Testes descended. L. 18, T 9.8, HF2.1, E 1.6, Wt 14 g. Spirit Spec. Photographed reel (5)
Perameles bouganville m. [WR55] Caught by hand at night in sanddunes with Olearia, Acacia, Solanum, Spinifex, Diplolaena, Rhagodia.
[Coll. W.D.L.R.] Photographed reel (5). Wt. 200, L. 32.5, T. 9.2, E. 3.7, HF 4.9.  2 of the Lagostrophus were earmarked for Zool. Dept.
[Zool.1419] F with formed young [1418] Brown animal kept alive.
Wt. 1500, L. 69, T.32.5, HF10, E 4.5, joey f. W.170, L. 36.5, T 18, HF8.2, e. 2.9. 3rd incisor just breaking gum. Fully formed hopping clumsily. Kept alive.
[WR 56] F wt 1300, L. 65.5, T. 25.8, HF 9.4, E 4.2, taken to Perth for display. No blistock(?). Young dead in pouch F Wt 20 g., L. 15, T.6.6, HF 2.5, E. >8. Not furred , young preserved.[1420. Zool.] F with large but not fully furred young. Kept for Zool. Dept.
Bettongia lesueur F [1423]
Bettongia lesueur F [Zool.1424]

> 26th July
Still blowing Lancelin has put out to sea so no hope of getting off today. Very short of water. Lancelin has probably gone back to Carnarvon to pick up McLaughlin. Hope she will be able to get back tonight or tomorrow.

Spent morning photographing on Reel (5) the joey with F 1418-9, Mus albocinereus [WR54] and the Pemeles [WR55]. Used a complete film but should have some excellent shots. Doped the two latter with Ether first and it worked excellently. Went out in afternoon & looked for L. hirsuitus, no luck. In evening went out along the sand dunes with Hugh & Bernie. Also collected a curious prawn from the claws of one of the yellow land crabs on the beach. Preserved [but rather mangled] in formalin. It was just alive when collected.

Collected numerous L. fasciatus all brown variety. Released most of them, kept m [059] and F[1421], young f.[1422], 1 specimen m. Perameles, L Juvenile Bettong[WR58] and Lagorchestes hirsutus [WR57]
[Gave [WR61] to the little m collected in Bernier on 20th July 1959]
[WR57] F with joey. Excellent condition, a curious squeaking noise when caught. Wt 1450, Length 645, Tail 270, HF108, E 47. Joey is not postiner teat. CR length 2.3, Rt anterior teat also long. has she already lost one?
[WR58] Bettongia lesueur F young animal Wt880, L. 590, T.28.5, HF102.5, E 31 minute joey. CR length 1.4. When examined at capture approx 210 hrs pouch was empty, when examined on 27th at 10.00 hrs young present.

> 27 July 1959
Woke at dawn to find Lancelin coming over the horizon.
Photographed Lagorchestes and started new film.
While camp was packed up and staff loaded Hugh and I killed animals from previous night & weighed & measured. Got them into fridge on Lancelin. Extracted U.G. from WR56, WR57 & WR58.
56 a fasciatus has no blastocyst.
57 a hirsutus may have a blastocyst. 2 large corpora untea.
58 The Bettong, fixed U.G. entire & hope that sections will show birth passage.[WR59] m Adult L. fasciatus. Wt 2050, L.73.5, T. 34.5, HF 11.05, E 5.15. Taken back frozen for display purposes.
[WR60] M adult Perameles bouganvillei Wt125 g., L28, T.8.45, HF 5.1, E.5.15
Left Bernier at 11.30 and had a gough trip over. Slept like a log the whole way and arrived in Carnarvon about 3.30. Arranged the deep freezing of the animals with Ron and finally got away from Carnarvon at 7 pm.

> 28th July 1959
Moved off at 7am after a very cold night. Arrived Geraldton at 9.30 and had breakfast and went with Bob to see his brother. Dr R.G.Royce 94 Sandford St. Geraldton.

He told me about a letter from Mrs. E.G. Pumble (?) of Nov. 1958 telling him about a specimen  which was sent to the museum for identification Sept 1958. "received a reply "after a lengthy period". Short note in reply to 2 page letter. Identified as Missulena occatoria Walck.Get more information about this to Dr Royce.
Arrived back in Perth after an uneventful journey at 1900 hrs.
 
 
Expedition to Bernier & Dorre, July 1959 : Collecting numbers WR186 - 601.
Perth to Murchison 11th July 1959 - Carnarvon 13 July - Disaster Cove 14 July - White Beach, Quoin Bluff, Low Point, Peaked Cliff 17th July - Quoin Bluff

> 19th July - Red Cliff Point, Wedge Point, 20th July -west coast 21, 22  July, - sketch of  -hole, collected specimens' numbered from WR collection - 24 July bad weather, unable to sail to Red Cliff Point 25th July still too windy for "Lancelin" but they were able to leave Bernier Island

> 26 July - arrived back in Perth 28 July 1959....

Bend to left, track to rt goes to "Mt Shenton" outstation, has mill.
Minnie Creek turnoff, sharp right.
Peagull Rock to rt.,
Beginning of Lake Throssell,
Native Well, 1 mile to left, good track to it
End of Lake Throssell.
Peg 101 to N. "200" to south (Native drawings of diverse animals)
Terhan Rock hole
native stone on left hand side of road,
peg P.B.145,
Surveyors' tripod in scrubby interdune,
petrol dump at Hunt oil turnoff (our drum is on left hand side of road immediately past turnoff), road to right runs generally east along 27th parallel.
"Muggon" rock hole(recte Narratha),
Manunda Rock hole & PB 1777,
Gahnda Rock hole PB197 (recte Ganba),
Windalda Rock hole & PB 210,
Hunt oil airstrip 331 - Rawlinna turnoff to rt.,Macrodeus
Turnoff to left to Hunt oil camp.
Beginning of Aboriginal Reserve, Warburton Range Mission.

Glen Storr's Route card : Warburton Ra. - Carnegie. Warburton Ra
Taking left hand from (Giles Rd) Elder Creek
Turn left for Carnegie ( 287 m) straight ahead to Giles signpost.
Todd Range ( a line of breakaways with caves)
Top of Baker Range, Mt Samuel Trig to left, then curving descent of breakaways, rabbits here on 24/7/63.
Signpost BMR/SP.
Bloodwood with aluminium plate inscribed "100 miles from Warburton Range, 224 miles from Carnegie".
Northeast end of Lake Breaden
Lone desert oak
BMR water bore on gum flat
trig (Notabilis hill) on top of laterite rise
Old camp BMR
Mt Beedell ( an impressive red and white breakaway
Decker airstrip.
Ascent of Browne Range
Sharp bend left in pass between Mts Everard and Gordon
Gary Highway to rt.(to Windy corner, Kidson camp abd Well 35).
Big bend to SW at trig (1498')
Concrete peg 82/34, 3 petrol drums. Our old camp (25/7/63) 107 m. E of Carnegie.
Mungilli claypan to rt.
Mt William Lambert to rt. (a trig in breakaway)
Mt Nossiter (a breakaway in Fame Range.
Concrete peg 82/46 petrol drums
Blazed desert oak (now dead)
Carnegie.
[Sketch] Butler's Directions to Macrodeus colony at Galah.

> 23 Jan 1967
6 Florence Rd., Nedlands 0710 hrs., 171/2 gals - filled tank & 2 jerricans
Granite quarry E. of Kellerberrin where I collected bone previously, crusty aggregate for new railway line (135 mile peg). Morning coffee 32c.
9 gals to fill.
Merredin lunch 65c.
Southern Cross 5 1/2 gals to fill. Road closed but just open, removed to have had 600pts from Cyclone "Elsie". Very wet all over the road. Lake with plenty of water.

Kalgoorlie 81/2 gals to fill. Very cold & raining since Coolgardie. Railway washed out in several places. Tea $1.00. Rain now said to be between 700-800 points.

Called on Bill & Mrs Cleveley had tea and then on to Gill and Nanette Ralph, 35 Ward St.. Invited to stay the night . Road open to Leonora but not clear of sit beyond. Reminded that Gill Ralph never advised about the Echidna he sent.

Had long talk to Ralph and Hobson about the British Aims. Well see the ABC reps for them to do something to build up public interest. They are very interested and grateful for the loan of the State Battery [?] model for the Kalgoorlie Community Fair in March.

Arranged to meet Ralph (now Sec. of Imar[?]) and Hobson (now chairman) next day. To bed 12.15 Alex gone earlier with splitting head.

> 24th Jan 1967
0930 hrs up to see Prideau at R.F.D. Base, Alma still there. Two messages from Perth
(1) from Bob Tewell telling us that the aerial photos of Sharde (?) will be up to the R.F.D. base today -- Gave this to Athol to deal with.
(2) for John Bannister asking him to ring him at the Museum 15m. delay to Museum. Message re John's application for job. Wants to know collection he ought to go to London (?) for an interview at the Zoo.
Scheds between 7 and 8.
Did interview for Goldfields magazine for broadcast at 8.00 pm on Wed. 1st Feb. 69F, [6kg is 248]
[Now SF 6.45 and 2.45 am, 6pm, 7pm. (local & weather at 6.45]
Lunch for two (Alex & Self) $1.19, Drinks $7.15. Filled up Rover with all jerricans, 17 gals. Left Herman[?] St. 13.05 hrs.
Qulpit dead on road, good dark face.
Fox crossing road
Leonora 9 gals Road closed but garage man advised Ok for L. Rover. Drove on through much water on Laverton Rd to little hill above swampy plain.
Camp.
 
Collected frogs & 2 geckoes. The darker of the two geckoes was caught on a rush at the water's edge. The other running on the ground at a fire.

Collected a few artifacts. Frogs calling and spaces in the water. Seem to be a bat 8spp. Helioparus like moo ; a high trilling and a clicking quack.

Beria (abandoned mine) turn rt for Cosmo Newbery,

Cosmo Newbery Mission, Mill, Blackboys near bend to rt., Bend to left, Track to rt goes to "Mt Shelton" outstation, has Mill. Minnie Creek turnoff sharp right, Peagull Rock  to rt., beginning of Lake Throssell, Native well 1 mile to left, good track to it, End of Lake Throssell. Peg 101 to N. "200" to south (Native drawings of diverse animals). Terhan Rock Hole, Native Stone on left hand side of road, Peg P.O. 145, surveyors tripod in scrubby intrude. Petrol dump at Hunt oil turnoff (our drum is on left hand side of road immediately past turnoff), road to right runs generally east along 27th parallel. "Muggun" rock hole (recte Narratha) Manunda Rock Hole & P.B. 1777. Gahnda Rock Hole & P.B. 197 (recte Ganba), Windalda Rock Hole & P.B. 210. Hunt oil airstrip 331 - Rawlinna turnoff to rt. Turnoff to left to Hunt oil camp, beginning of Aboriginal Reserve, Warburton Range Mission.

Glen Storr's Route Card : Warburton Ra. - Carnegie.

Warburton Ra., Taking left hand from (Giles Rd.). Elder Creek. Turn left for Carnegie (287 m.) Straight ahead to Giles - signpost. Todd Range (a line of breakaways with caves). Top of Baker Range, Mt. Samuel trig to left, then curving descent of breakaways. Rabbits here on 24/7/63. Signpost BMR/SP. Bloodwood with aluminium plate inscribed "100 miles from Warburton Range, 224 miles from Carnegie". Northeast end of Lake Breadon, lone desert oak, BMR water bore on gum flat. trig (Notabilis Hill) on top of laterite rise. Old camp BMR. Mt. Beadell ( an impressive red and white breakaway). Decker airstrip. Ascent of Broome Range, sharp bend left in pass between Mts Everard and Gordon. Gary Highway to rt. (to Windy Corner, Kidson"s Camp abd Well 35). Big bend to SW at trig(1498'). Concrete peg 82/34, 3 petrol drums. Our old camp (25/7/63) 107m. east of Carnegie. Mungilli Claypan to rt. Mt William Lambert to rt. ( a trig on breakaway), Mt Nossiter (a breakaway in Fame Ra.), concrete peg 82/46 petrol drums, blazed desert oak (now dead), Carnegie.

Sketch : Butler's directions to Macrodena[?] colony at Gandah.

> 23 Jan 1967
Leaves Nedlands
Granite quarry E of Kellerberrin where I collected bone previously, crushing aggregate for new railway line, Merredin, Southern Cross, road closed but just open, rumoured to have had 600 pts from cyclone "Elsie", very wet all over the road, lake with plenty of water. Kalgoorlie very cold & raining since Coolgardie. Railway washed out in several places, rain now said to be700-800 points. Called on Bill & Mrs Clewley had tea, then on to Gill and Nanette Ralph 35 Ward St., invited to stay the night. Road open to Leonora but not clear of sit. beyond. Reminded that Gill Ralph never advised about the Echidna he sent. had long talk to Ralph and Hobson about the British Aims[?]. We'll see the ABC reps for them to do something to build up public interest. They are very interested and grateful for the loan of the State Battery[?] model for the Kalgoorlie County Fair in March. Arranged to meet Ralph (now Sec. of  Mines[?]) and Hobson (now chairman) next day. To bed 12.15 Alex gone earlier with splitting head.

> 24th Jan 1967
9.30 up to see Prideaux at R.F.D. base. Alna[?] still there. Two messages from Perth (1) from Bob Tewell telling us that the Aerial photos Gharde[?] area will be up to the R.F.D. base today - Gave this to Athol to deal with. (2) for John Banister asking him to ring him at the Museum. 15 Min delay to Museum, message re John's application for job. Wants to know whether he ought to go for an interview at the zoo. Scheds between 7 and 8. Did interview for Goldfields Magazine for broadcast at 8 pm on Wed.1st Feb. 69F [6kg is 248]. [News SF 6.45 a 7.45 am, 6pm 7pm (local & weather at 6.45 pm].

Lunch, filled up Rover, left Hannan St 13.05. Quilpit dead on road, good dark face. Fox crossing road.

Leonora. Road closed but garage advised OK for L. Rover. Drove on though much water on Laverton Rd. to little hill above swampy plain. Camp. Collected frogs and 2 geckoes. The darker[?] of the 2 geckoes was caught in a rush at the water's edge, the other running on the ground at a fire. Collected a few artifacts. Frogs calling and spairs in the water seems to be about 8 spp. Helioporus-like moo, sheep-like higher filled baa; a deep glomp ; a high trilling ; and a clicking quack.

> 25th Jan. 1967
05.30 a nice morning, cloudy with a clear sunrise and sun in patches. Bellbirds calling, some yellow-eyed Areantheja[?] oterione very still. Breakfast without distinction - Athol's choice of tins very unimaginative. Fox tracks. Listened to Scheds on 5360. Charlie Prideaux very loud but somewhat staticy. Ruth Swan[?] on8WOY very clear, did not come up, no messages for us being called. Did frogs & geckoes. Off at 09.15.

28 m. E of Leonora. Minora Homestead. Mt Morgans, Mt Margaret turnoff. Laverton, seems pretty dead, very little life, a few natives sitting around in the main street otherwise little life. Bought supplies & a new billy, photo of main street of Laverton[C3301]. Spinifex begins, spinifex in sand (2) Cylindoleus[?] ran across road, dug out of burrow[?]. Another species running in road, shot. Spinifex flat, shot Sypheronaplus[?], dug out Amphibolus, Baynes hit Egenia with spade. Cosmo boss gone to Melbourne. Stopped lunch in an Acacia patch, stony ground  with red clay soil. B. shot a Sytheromorphs[?]. Fist[?] fixed clere[?]. Lovely woodland to south with white barked gums, saw ALytornis singing in spinifex. Blackboys[C3302], Blackboys & mallee[C3303], white backed magpie, Moloch[?] in roads, listened to 3.45 Sched on 5360 KC in case anything for Athol, message that Athol to leave Kalgoorlie at 5pm tonight and Bill Clewley will bring Michael White in when he comes. Reception v. good, straight through immediately. Reached Dons[?] at turnoff, turned back to put in number for Bill Clewley and Athol. Marker No 1, Marker no. 2, Marker No. 3. back at drums & turn off to Yamarna. Drove down track to well before homestead. This well is set in the "headwaters"- a soil flat - of Minnie Creek. Great Eucalypts altogether a most unexpected sight. The water seems to be about 20 ft down . Unfortunately not enough line for us but Athol may provide when he arrives. Eagles in the trees and a Brown Hawk's nest  with bird sitting. Some fine drizzle & plenty of signs of previous rain. The country all round here is plentiful mallee with Acacia in poor stony ground. Went out spotlighting. Rabbits in warrens in sandy ground, back at turnoff met 2 chaps from Warbo's on their way through to Kalgoorlie. Went on back to camp. Continued on down to Yamarna homestead  but did not go far enough in the dark - turned in at 12.15. General impressions in spotlighting : Red kangaroos plentiful, some half to 3/4 grown joey but no small joeys at heel. Rabbits fairly plentiful with 3/4 grown kittens. Confined entirely to the sandy soil in ridges where there is no spinifex.

> 26 Jan 1967 Thursday
Camp at well 8.4 m. Sth of Turn off. Homestead (abandoned). This is in poor condition and with a couple of days work could be made quite good enough for a party to work from. Drove back along Minnie Creek towards camp. Stopped to look at exposures. These seem to be largely a red sandstone (ie grit - mundayin[?] cement) with coarse inclusions of quartz, quartzite and schist. t is not very thick and in places the quartzite and schist which underlie it come up to the surface. The surface hereabouts is very instralting[?]. Scrubby mulga going on very poor clay soil with plentiful gibbers of quartzite, ironstone and white quartz. The schist-like material appears to be a working product of the quartzite which has numerous bands of silica. Alex shot an Amphibolus.

Walked system. Photos[C3304, 05] of exposure on NE bank showing the grit overlaying the schist. Specimens of schist taken with grit. same appearance as at Ederga R. with the fine sediment in the top breaking up into blocklike pieces. [Sketch of layers of rock], Section of photo[C304-5]. Ewings of Yamarna passed through and asked us to a cup of tea. Left camp to go to Salvation Well via Thatchers Soak. Old Yamarna Homestead, turned west onto track beyond Thatchers Soak. Cairn on right, track joins from East. 3.45 Scheds. Exposure over to N of track, looks like kaolin. Telegram from Bob Savage asking me to look in the valley of the Sutherland Range - what a hope ! Bob Clewley also got message re Michael White. Went over to exposure in sandhill, a patch of schist with quartz blao. v. prominent but no good for fossils, took 2 photos [C3306-7]. Collected numbers of lizards in spinifex sand, one leyo v. dark ? emo. whissed. Back at rd., track junction at ?Thatchers Soak, took left fork. ran over snake, Athol collected it Purendectis[?]. Thatcher Soak, a shallow stone would soak sheets covering. The range is bare with granite exposed all over surface. Still on same track but no track to S.E., turn back to look for track. Back at soak. Drove back to camp rather than try a new track in the dark. Put meal on and then drove down to the new Yamarna homestead to see the boys to tell them why we did not come in. 9 miles out got bogged in road and worked until 10.00. Gave up and walked back. 5 miles later (11.15) Alex arrived & picked us up. Back to camp ate meal - v. tired.

> 27th Jan 1967 (Friday)
Up for news & Sched. reception good, further rain coming in from Pt Hedland, 12 ins. Sched sent telegram to Savage:
SAVAGE CARE GEOLOGY BRISTOL. GOT MESSAGE SUTHERLAND RANGE WILL TRY RIDE and TERRELL CARE MUSEUM PERTH DOUGLAS ARRIVED YESTERDAY STOP CLEVERLEY WILL BRING OUT WHITE STOP ALL OK INFORM MARGARET ALL MESSAGES RIDE.

0950 hrs left camp after a thorough clear up. For old landrover (bogged) Yamarna instead at Dorothy Hills. Pulled out landrover photos[C3308-10]. Alex collected a few lizards between camp and this point. New Yamarna homestead, had talk with Ewings and Anne -wife. 3 children[C3313,4].

Transferred to Athol's landrover, turn pt at fenceline (ie SE), turn NE away from fence, turn off track towards breakaways bearing 65*, reached base of breakaway. Sketch of breakaway. Walked out a mile or so of breakaway, v. hot and humid, cumulonimbus building up to east, thunder, Sched impossible owing to static. The section is complex, will come back tomorrow to collect specs. at the lower levels there seem to be sandstones and shales with a pronoed[?] dip: the lower mesas are then capped by a very remarkable conglomerate of marble sized to walnut sized milky quartz. This extends laterally into crossbedded shales which is then (in the higher mesas) overlain by sandstones which are laterized at the top. It seems to me that there is a marked discontinuity between the conglomerate -shale horizon and the lower sandstones. If the lower is Cretaceous is the upper Tertiary ? Light poor photos tomorrow. There would be 80-100 ft of exposures. Started back with thunder increasing and, unfortunately, Alex got bogged just before we got to the road, Then it started to rain. Kevin Ewings drove out to get a kangaroo and saw me in trouble. We had to leave the petrol rover and went on into the the homestead. Rain very heavy. In the darkness the rain really came down and the whole country started to flood. The water level was about 5-6 ins between 9 and 9.30 - the wet was about 3 ins. Ewings is worried about the house obviously in a bad place. Tankstand started to go but stopped it by part emptying it. Fortunately he has no stock yet. All the vehicles are getting bogged down in their standings. Ewings v. kind and asked us to stay. They have very little food but said that we could "use them up" for as long as we liked. They used to be V.A.M.

> 28th Jan 1967 (Sat.)
A look at the situation, is not pouring, no rain gauge but at least 2 inches have fallen in the night. Will try to get through on Sched to Charlie on the Yamarna wireless:8WHISKY NOVEMBERXRAY is sitting in the petrol landrover 2 miles from the homestead. Will try to pass telegrams through YAMARNA8WHISKYWHISKYTANGO - KEVINEWINGS

1. CLEVERLEY SCHOOL OF MINES KALGOORLIE WASHED OUT BY TWO INCHES RAIN YOU CANNOT REACH US NOR CAN WE GET BACK TO OUR CAMP FOR AT LEAST TWO DAYS STOP HOLD WHITE KALGOORLIE UNTIL I GIVE OK RIDE

2. TERRELLCAREMUSEUM PERTH
WASHED OUT WILL REMAIN YAMARNA HOMESTEAD UNTIL MOVEMENT POSSIBLE HAVE ASKED PROFESSOR WHITE REMAIN KALGOORLIE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE RIDE

Did not succeed, but Kevin Ewings got through a message to say we were flooded out and to tell Bill Cleveley not to come. Como only had 20 points while Windos[?] are completely flooded out and airstrip. for 48 hrs. Kalgoorlie had a little rain. Walked over to the petrol land rover with extra bog boards for tomorrow when we try to get it up. Athol left at 6.45 am. to walk up to the camp, he will look after the kit, could not dissuade him, best to let him go. I told him to stay there until we get there.

Meteorite ? near Point Nasland. Heard to fall in daylight in 1960-61 by Alan Lovick (at present in Saudi Arabia, Hut Oil) and Harry Lupton. Harry Lupton was in a tank at the time and felt the vibration, Natives also heard a noise at Cosmo. Lovich searched for it but without success.

Kangaroos. Marloo, Euros, Goolbit (Waigai name in Kalgoorlie) [Imigabrudda(Waigai name for Euro)] Goolbit - only seen in pairs probably passing through.Short tracks in Marloo - very long track in Goolbit ["not like a kangaroo track at all"]

Spent morning at vehicle & tried to walk over to collect specs and take photos but got into awful trouble in boggy stretch before the [gravel out wishes ]with saltbush. Gave up the attempt at 12.00 and got back to L.Rover about 12,30. Carried back kit box, aerial photos etc to homestead. Spent afternoon collecting lizards with Alex, the dogs and children (Stephen and Terry (Girl). V. successful, collected 3 good scorpions as well.

> 29th Jan 1967
Sunday. Went out to vehicle Sched 0920. VJQ - 8WHISKY NOVEMBER XRAY telegram:
CLEVERLEY SCHOOL OF MINES KALGOORLIE. UNDERSTAND WARBORTON RD OPEN IF  PROFESSOR WILLING TO RISK WALK TO CAMP FROM TURNOFF ATHOL THERE RIDE

2. TERRELL CARE MUSEUM PERTH WASHED OUT BY TWO INCHES WILL STAY YAMARNA HOMESTEAD UNTIL MOVEMENT POSSIBLE PERHAPS TWO DAYS.

No need to send telegram. No delivery until Tuesday. Bill clearly left Kalgoorlie early this morning with Michael White will try to get through. Walked back to homestead and then went out with Kevin Ewings to a suspected meteorite crater along the SW-NE leg of the paddock. Certainly looks like, we marked the position on the fence line with a bag and walked back to homestead collecting a few lizards on the way including a Varanus gouldii. Afternoon walked out to S.W.B. land Rover in the bog with extra bog boards and spent afternoon jacking up and getting out to the road. Alex helped for the first part, & then when I decided that we would not get up to the camp that night walked back to the homestead to tell them. Kevin came over and helped and between us we got the vehicle out to the road. At night tried to get a lizard[?] with a spotlight but without success. In conversation Kevin said that he had seen brush wallaby shot at Lake King. A long way to the East for irma. He says not common there.

> 30th Jan 1967.
700 walked out to vehicle, discovered public holiday Sched not until 9.00. Left creek N. of homestead. Reached Michael White and Bill Cleverley about a mile N of homestead, their Holden was bogged  - unbogged it and got bogged ourselves. Got through to VJQ and told them that Bill Cleverley and Michael White had reached our camp. On the way up we met Athol at     . He had walked up to camp the day before. Been there when Michael White arrived and then left to meet us early in the morning to advise against trying to cross the creek flats between the Salvation[?] creek and the old homestead. We made a detour round there without trouble and the rest of the way was clear.2136 Left camp. Crossed rd. - new rd. Neale Junction Rd, corner with drums inWarbo Rd., Neale Junction Rd, turnoff Warbo Rd. Cosmo Newberry Mission, got stores, also stores for Kevin & Anne, to tell them that the potatoes & the onions[?] are in short supply. Also cleaned the barrel of the gun with curtain [?] rod with the help of Tom Murray (1/2 caste in charge). Left mission. Cosmo Hills and windmill, junction of Old Warbo Rd where it goes down to Mt Shenton. V. gouldii v. common on road. New awt[?] (ie Neale Junction Rd.) off Warbo Rd., turned down it, junction the Minnie Creek Rd., back up it to pick up Bog Boards. Back in camp.

Went out shooting after dark for meat. A. shot 3 kangaroos, Reds, AMD208, male, immature, kept skull ; AMD209,female, mature AMD210,female, immature. Baynes also shot 2 rabbits, males, plentiful in isolated weipes[?] in guerny[?] ridges.

Butted down out under the Kangaroo Tree - or at least near it. Thr story of the tree according to Kevin Ewings is that the Waigai say that in the Dreaming, a kangaroo travelled from near Ayers Rock to the Warburton Ranges where he stole a woman and came south west. The pursuers caught up with them at Minnie Creek and speared him there, where he became the great gum tree on the flat immediately opposite our camp. I asked Tom Murray, the half-caste at Cosmo about the story but he only said that he believed that there was some such story but did not volunteer any further information.

Tomorrow will send telegram: Terrell care Museum Perth : Professor White joined party moving to Lake Baker Wednesday, Ride.
Scorpions everywhere.
Mr & Mrs K. Ewings
Yamarna Stn.
P.O. Laverton, W.A.

> 31st Jan. 1967 (Tuesday)
Up at 5.30 a lovely dawn, the Kangaroo tree looks wonderful in the rising sun.

Sched at 7.00, got telegram off to tell that the Landrover could be got out.

I saw a mob of about 14 camels of which Athol and I shot 3, beautiful animals - a pity to shoot them but Kevin has asked us to because of his fences. Refuelled at which point all tanks and cans empty except 5 gals. in reserve. This isc[?] location represents the safe range of the vehicle i.e. 2301-1 - 1855.6 = 445.5 + 5 gallons. Back at camp packed up the kit for all day down at Yamarna Homestead. Intention to get Bill Cleverley to (?) meteorite crater and to get the diesel Landrover.

Left camp. Road in good condition as far as the boggy place. Some minor troubles getting Bill's Holden across the bogs. Bill thinks meteorite crater a possibility but no success in digging - "difficult to see what else it could be". Athol says mallee fowl's nest. Collected book, males & females of a new horabine[?] with Michael White. V. nice lunch with the Ewings.

ced. 345pm
Telegram for V.J.Q.  Ex Brisbane  To D. Ride. Returning Perth

>  Wed. 1st Feb.
Elle.
This is for Elle Fry to say that now O.K. to send emails to her. Called old homestead & collected portable disblower. Athol collected crickets in old well, notebook (mine) fell in but recovered by him. He is a

Got back to camp to find that Athol had given our kangaroo (eating) to the Ewings with those shot for them.So tins tonight after attempts by Athol and Alex to shoot a rabbit. Mosquitos bad - turn in at 21.45. Alex refuelled the Landrover at approx 2360....