We named this reach, in consequence, Reach Hopeless.
November 6.
It being evidently impracticable to proceed higher up in the boats; a small party of us landed at daylight, in order to ascend a neighbouring height, and thence to trace as far as possible the upward course of the river, preparatory to a pedestrian excursion along its banks.

Before sunrise we reached the summit of a narrow ridge, trending East-South-East 1/2 a mile east, from where the boats were lying: in this singular ridge I again noticed the dip to the south-east: it was composed of a variety of rocks, jasper, a greyish kind of flinty indifferent limestone, and greywacke.
SINGULAR APPEARANCE OF THE RIVER.
The view from it was very limited, the valley of the river turning short to the northward, two miles east by south of our position, to which we gave the name of Station Hill.

Before I had finished my round of angles, the heat had become so great that some of our party were compelled to return to the boats, whilst myself, with two of the men, pushed on for nearly two miles in an easterly direction, along the foot of some table-topped hills, and were then gratified with another peep at the river, which had a very singular appearance, in some places nearly dry, discovering a wide bed of large pebbles: long narrow islands, whose shape attested the former rapidity of the currents, covered with reeds and acacias, and deep pools of standing water, were its most characteristic features.

Several kangaroos, alarmed by our approach, hastily quitted their cool hidingplaces, presenting beautiful shots; but as the traces of natives were both recent and numerous, we thought it most prudent to reserve our fire, and shortly after, upon finding a native fire still alight, to keep the open ground as much as possible.

We travelled for a long mile over a level flat of good soil, though now quite destitute of vegetation, save some beautiful specimens of the truly evergreen gumtree.
PROSPECT FROM VIEW HILL.
At length we reached the summit of View Hill, and no effervescing draught could have proved more really refreshing than the south-east breeze which greeted us there.