hills, thickets, dry beds of salt lakes, somnolent melancholy plains; no feed, no water. When they tried to penetrate to the north-east they were driven back by a rough waterless waste. The natives had a miserable appearance, more "like monkeys than men," says the narrative. They lived on rats and one another, and occasionally made a meal of their own blood mixed with the powdered root of a tree.
The next expedition was partly equipped by the Government. Surveyor C. C. Hunt, the leader, was accompanied by J. Seabrook, J. Cowan, R. Eaton, Police-Constable Edwards, and two natives. Twenty-three horses and twenty-two weeks' rations were taken. Mr. Hunt departed from York on 9th July, 1864, and succeeded in going beyond the limits of the settlers' explorations. He got through the more arid country seen by them, and came to what he termed a tract of fine pastoral and agricultural land about 350 miles east of York. For forty miles it remained of equal promise, even improving as he went on. In the region of longitude 121° 55' east he found plenty of grass but little water. Emus and kangaroos were numerous, which, it was thought, proved that there were still finer stretches eastwards. Messrs. Cowan and Seabrook returned to York earlier than Mr. Hunt, who wished to search for permanent water and further examine the plain. He named the area where the pasture was the best the Hampton Plains, in compliment to Governor Hampton. He traversed portions of the eastern goldfields beyond Kalgoorlie, and visited Lake Lefroy and the northerly hills of the Dundas Range. Throughout the whole journey the explorers were never in need of water, although there was evidence of a long drought having taken place. Lake Cowan and other places were named. On 3rd November Mr. Hunt arrived at York.
The Government apparently believed that the Hampton Plains would be selected by pastoralists; and in 1865 Mr. Hunt, with four pensioners, eight convicts, and one native was sent out to cut a track thither and sink wells. He also had with him ten horses and nine bullocks. It took him some months to complete this severe task, but by October he declared that a practicable route existed for upwards of 400 miles into the interior from the western sea-board. Although Hunt's track was not used in the way intended by Government, it came to be of inestimable service nearly thirty years later when the goldfields were discovered. It was then overgrown with scrubby vegetation, but was in sufficient order to be used as the highway to Coolgardie. The railway now partly follows Hunt's track. Many of the wells and reservoirs by granite rocks remained intact, and greatly assisted the development of the goldfields. The track went over the huge plains from Southern Cross through Gnarlbine, north of Lake Lefroy, to the Hampton Plains.
On three occasions in 1865 Hunt vainly tried to explore the country east of Hampton Plains; he was beaten back by want of water. It was a time of drought, the most extraordinary the natives remembered. Beyond Depot Hill, Hunt said the country consisted of beds of slate, pipeclay, and quartz. A further attempt was made in the winter of 1866 to penetrate the environments of the Hampton Plains. With Mr. F. Roe and a well-equipped party, Mr. Hunt formed a depot at Hampton Plains, whence he made flying trips. He, Mr. Roe, and a native succeeded in going 200 miles east and north of the 1865 limit, and passed over some grassy plains on which were kangaroos (of various kinds), and emus. No features are named in the record, but Mr. Hunt mentions seeing dry lake beds, and he must, therefore, have found the Kurnalpi country and Lake Roe, named after his companion. After making flying trips in every direction, and spending some months at Hampton Plains he returned to York in November. He now believed the Plains to be an isolated tract of 500,000 acres of fertile country, surrounded by vast forests on level plains. The Plains themselves, he said, would be untenable for pastoral purposes without a large expenditure in well sinking. But he described "large masses of trap-rock, identical with that found on the goldfields of Victoria." Mr. Hunt and Mr. Roe were also told by natives of white travellers dying beside an inland sheet of water. The colony lost a useful public servant on 1st March, 1868, when Mr. Chas. C. Hunt died at Geraldton. Although only thirty-five years of age his energy and zeal had rendered him conspicuous.
This eastern area was almost reached by A. Dempster in September, 1865. Starting on the 12th from Esperance Bay with S. Symons and a native he travelled northward over timbered country, with occasional patches of feed, and viewed Fitzgerald Peak on the 15th September. Thence he went to the Dundas Hills, which had red flats under them and gravel and large stones on the sides; they were rough and dry. For three days the horses were without water, and because of that and the absence of feed the men turned back sooner than was intended. Mr. Dempster concluded by stating that "a good route could without much difficulty be formed, for sheep or other stock, by sinking tanks in the granite rocks, which would fill up every time rain fell." In 1866 Messrs. Taylor and Belches left Albany with the intention of going 600 miles to the eastward, but failed in the attempt. Most of the land they traversed had already been discovered by other travellers. Some excitement was caused in the colony in 1867 when it was reported that the South Australian Government claimed Eucla to be within their territory. A coastal boat took soundings in the harbour.
Messrs. J. H. Monger, jun., and R. W. Hardey went 150 miles east of York in April, 1867, but were driven back by heavy rain and boggy country. On 31st August, 1868, J. H. and G. Monger, — Hicks, and three natives left York with seven horses to examine country east of Champion Bay. They were told by natives that well grassed and watered stretches lay in that direction. After a successful trip they hit upon promising country between the tracks of A. C. Gregory in the forties and Austin in 1854. To reach this area dense thickets had to be penetrated, but though the white men considered them impassable the natives guided them by easy paths. The Mongers selected 100,000 acres of land then discovered; Lake Monger is a geographical feature marked by the party. Mr. H. Gray in 1864 explored to 170 miles east of Champion Bay.
While settlement was pushed north and south-east the south-western portion of the colony was not forgotten, and large stretches of new land were taken up. Mr. James Lee-Steere selected 100,000 acres on the Blackwood River and resided there in 1861, and Messrs. R. Scott, J. J. Giblett, J. B. Roe, T. Giblett, G. Giblett, G. D. C. Lefroy, and E. Brockman were already settled in the Warren and Donelly River districts. The natives were at first very troublesome in these parts, and murdered the black stock boys and threatened the white men. In 1866 Mr. J. S. Harris, Government Resident at the Vasse, explored new country between Busselton and the rivers mentioned. In 1861 the licenses and leases held in the Victoria, old eastern, and south-western districts represented 6,657,105 acres and in 1868 11,049,818 acres. Besides leasing out lands, areas were constantly being sold by the Government, but only in small lots. The new land was generally selected for grazing purposes. With the issue of fairly liberal tillage regulations newcomers and old settlers naturally chose the leasing system, buying only homestead lots. From 1861 to 1868, inclusive, upwards of 75,000 acres were sold at and above 10s. per acre. Large areas were taken up for tillage purposes.
