Chapter 6

Settlement at King George's Sound--The free colony of Swan River founded--Governor Stirling--Captain Bannister crosses from Perth to King George's Sound--Explorations by Lieutenant Roe--Disappointing nature of the interior--Bunbury, Wilson, and Moore--Settlement on the North Coast--Melville Island and Raffles Bay--An escaped convict's story--The fabulous Kindur River--Major Mitchell starts in search of it--Discovery of the Namoi--The Nundawar Range--Failure of the boats--Reach the Gwydir River of Cunningham--The KARAULA--Its identity with the Darling--Murder of the two bullock-drivers--Mitchell's return--Murder of Captain Barker in Encounter Bay--Major Mitchell's second expedition to trace the course of the Darling--Traces the Bogan to its junction with that river--Fort Bourke--Progress down the river--Hostility of the natives--Skirmish with them--Return--Mitchell's third expedition--The Lachlan followed--Junction of the Darling and the Murray reached--Mitchell's discovery of Australia Felix.