We followed the creek for a mile or two farther, and found that it soon became exhausted, as casuarina and triodia sandhills environed the little plain, and after the short course of scarcely ten miles, the little creek became swallowed up by those water-devouring monsters.

This was named Laurie's Creek.
There was from 6000 to 10,000 acres of fine grass land in this little plain, and it was such a change from the sterile, triodia, and sandy country outside it, I could not resist calling it the Vale of Tempe.
We left the exhausted creek, and in ten miles from our camp we entered on and descended into another valley, which was open, but had no signs of any water.

From a hill I saw some ridges stretching away to the south and south-west, and to the west also appeared broken ridges.

I decided to travel about south-west, as it appeared the least stony.

In eight miles we had met the usual country.