We have broken ice full two inches thick." On the 12th of June the party returned to Bathurst, and Evans had by that time accomplished two of the most momentous journeys ever made in Australia.

It was not his actual discoveries alone that brought him fame, but the vast field for settlement these discoveries opened up.

The independent explorations of Surveyor Evans ceased after his discovery of the Lachlan; thenceforward he served Australia as second to Lieutenant Oxley.
2.3.THE UNKNOWN WEST.
The settlers of that day took every advantage of the new outlets for their energies, thrown open to them by the recent successful explorations.

Cattle and sheep were rapidly driven forward on to the highlands, and, favoured by a beautiful site, the town of Bathurst soon assumed an orderly appearance.

Private enterprise had also been at work elsewhere.