8.
1863
| Nov cont. | 25 | with (I think) plenty of permanent water, but no suitable place for a homestead, as the plains are subject to very heavy inundation, probably 3, or 4, ft deep or more in places. |
| 26 | Started home, as the mare was so near foaling that I expected an addition to the stock by the way slept on plain near white hill, where the mare left me during the night. | |
| 27 | Tracked mare to water, after having hid my saddle and traps; found the horses, but neither Ney or mare amongst them, came home at 3 p.m. Joe and Lewington away with team. | |
| 28 | Laing & self at work on building; Joe & Lewington home with team; & L, tells that he and McCourt found a heifer without her calf, also that they saw two natives who ran away & many tracks of Natives in the vicinity of the cattle which makes us apprehend they may have disturbed them. | |
| 29 | (Sunday) Went out for the saddle I had left, found Dolly, Ney & went in search of cattle & found some of them, & followed on tracks of more down to McC's. camp. | |
| 30 | Hunting cattle, found our lot in river pass, & another lower down, 25 head in all, with 11 calves, took them to McC's camp |
| Dec | 1 | Mounted Lewington & put him in charge of cattle, started with bullock team, & load of timber, Joe do & came home. |
| 2 | I went down with bullock team, & Joe with horse team Laing filling in floors of building. Lewington with cattle. | |
| 3 | I came home with load & returned to Dig-down on horse, Joe to McCourt's new camp & back to same, as there were many Natives at old camp, where L. was with all the cattle. | |
| 4 | Collected all the cattle & brought them up with the exception of 1 heifer, which ran away to her calf, & old Lively left in river pass on account of sore feet. | |
| 5 | Found all the hourse; met Joe at McC's with last load of lumber. |
