Handwritten notes

Transcription - Page 2

8a
on the Cooper, near to the boundary between Queensland
and South Australia no more than a few drops of rain
fell during [there were - crossed out] during eighteen months. To the northwards on the Yauruka
country, heavy monsoonal rains fell which provided
that tribe with a plentiful water supply everywhere
for many months, [and filled- crossed out] as well as filling all the large permanent
[wat- crossed out] catchments [where - crossed out]. All through their country so far as I
saw it animal [life -crossed out] and [vegetation - crossed out] vegetable food were
abundant.

The delta of the Cooper, including also that of the Frome
a small river [flowing from - crossed out] which rises in the [North - crossed out] northern end of the
Flinders range, and is about 350 miles in length from the offset of Strezelecki's creek [along the - crossed out] in a straight
line in the direction of the [From -crossed out] Cooper
to Lake Eyre and having a width of about a hundred miles.

This delta is formed by the spreading of the flood water
which, at uncertain intervals pour down the Barcoo and its
tributaries from [the Great Dividing Range - crossed out] an extent of some
three hundred and fifty miles of the Great Dividing Range and the lesser distribution from [the - crossed out] rains
falling within the watershed along its course [for - crossed out] of seven hundred miles
to Lake Eyre.

I did not see the Cooper flooded but can well conceive
the effect of such an [inn - crossed out] inundation from what I observed to
have been the result of a great flood in the Everard River
to the northward of Sturts Stony Desert. The flood waters had
spread over a width of twenty miles, [in a direction - crossed out] at right angles
to the course of the river [and the whole - crossed out] leaving only the
hills and the tops of sand ridges out of the water. The whole
of the submerged tracts were covered with the most luxuriant
vegetation and wild fowl had collected in great numbers.

As compared with this the southern parts of the
delta were in many places drought stricken and the
tribes people were mainly gathered together at the more or less
permanent waters along the many channels into which
the river had separated, [which exte - crossed out] extending southwards
by Strezelecki's creek to near [South Australia the settlements at - crossed out] Lake Callabonna
[to the - crossed out] and northwards to the edge of Sturt's Stony Desert