Got up early and Breakfasted at 7 o'clock. -- At 8 o'clock we mounted our Horses and set out to explore the Country lying in a South West direction from Bathurst; Mr. Evans who has already explored this Country being our Guide. -- It being too long a Ride for her Mrs. M. staid at Home this day, as did Messrs. Oxley & Meehan for the purpose of marking out the new Town, and laying it down on Paper. -- The first four miles of our route was over a very fine rich Tract of Land fit for any purpose. -- We then got into a more hilly Country but all excellent Pasture Land with very few exceptions. -- We continued our Ride along this open Hilly Country in a South West direction forat least Twenty miles from Bathurst, passing several well watered pretty Vallies [sic], the low parts of which were excellent Land for Cultivation. --The two largest and principal Vallies[sic] seen in the course of this day's Excursion I have named "Queen Charlotte's Vale" in Honor of Her Majesty; and "Princess Charlotte's Valley" in Honor of the Princess Charlotte of Wales; the former extending for about 20 miles in a S.West and N.East Direction and joining Bathurst Plains at the latter point; and the latter extending for about 18 miles in an East and Westerly direction, and opening to the Macquarie River near Mount Pleasant at its Western extremity; the two Valleys being separated by a Ridge of Hills, where they respectively terminate. Both these Valleys are remarkably well watered by large Ponds at regular distances contiguous to each other, which are even full of Water at this extraordinary dry season. -- Those two Vallies [sic] are well calculated for both grazing and agricultural Farms, and would soon repay the labour of the Husbandman and Grazier. We halted for near an hour at the Head of Queen Charlotte's Vale to rest and feed our Horses, and then continued our Journey Homewards through this beautiful fertile Vale. -- We saw a large Flock of Emus in Princess Charlotte's Valley, and a great [number?] of Kangaroos, Pigeons, Quails, and a few Wild Geese, in our Excursion of this day. --We returned to Head Quarters at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, after [a] very interesting but long ride of about Forty miles. --In crossing a deep part of the Princess Charlotte's Valley, about 12 miles from Bathurst, we fell in by mere chance with a poor old infirm Native Woman with her left Eye out and without a single Tooth in her Head. -- She had a large Bag on her Back -- and was in the act of taking up two long Poles when we came in view of her. She was excessively alarmed and frightened on seeing us -- but took up and put into her Bag some Pieces of Biscuit we threw to her. -- On the opposite side of the Valley we saw a Native Boy, who the old Woman crossed over to join as soon as her fears had a little subsided. She kept chattering and pointing with both her Hands to the opposite Hills from the time she first saw us till we were a considerable distance removed from her; -- pointing, as we supposed, to where her Friends and Tribe were to be found.

7 May 1815 | 9 May 1815