Expeditions of Governor Phillip--Mouth of the Hawkesbury found in Broken Bay--Second expedition and ascent of the river--Expedition of Captain Tench--Discovery of the Nepean River--Lieutenant Dawes sent to cross the Nepean, and to try to penetrate the mountains--Attempt by Governor Phillip to establish the confluence of the Nepean and Hawkesbury-- Failure--The identity settled by Captain Tench--Escaped convicts try to reach China--Captain Paterson finds and names the Grose River--Hacking endeavours to cross the Blue Mountains--The lost cattle found on the Cow Pastures--Bass attempts the passage of the range--Supposed settlement of a white race in the interior--Attempt of the convicts to reach it-- James Wilson--His life with the natives--Discovery of the Hunter River by Lieutenant Shortland. Chapter II [1813-1824] The great drought of 1813--The development of country by stocking-- Blaxland, Lawson, and Wentworth cross the Blue Mountains--Reach the head of coast waters and return--Surveyor Evans sent out--Crosses the watershed and finds the Macquarie River--Construction of road over the range--Settlement of Bathurst--Visit of Governor Macquarie--Second expedition under Evans--Discovery of the Lachlan River--Surveyor-General Oxley explores the Lachlan--Finds the river terminates in swamps--Returns by the Macquarie--His opinion of the interior--Second expedition down the Macquarie--Disappointment again--Evans finds the Castlereagh--Liverpool Plains discovered--Oxley descends the range and finds Port Macquarie-- Returns to Newcastle-Currie and Ovens cross the Morumbidgee--Brisbane Downs and Monaroo--Hume and Hovell cross to Port Phillip--Success of the expedition. Chapter III [to 1830] Settlement of Moreton Bay--Cunningham in the field again--His discoveries of the Gwydir, Dumaresque, and Condamine Rivers--The Darling Downs, and Cunningham's Gap through the range to Moreton Bay--Description of the Gap--Cunningham's death--Captain Sturt--His first expedition to follow down the Macquarie--Failure of the river--Efforts of Sturt and Hume to trace the channel--Discovery of New Year's Creek (the Bogan)--Come suddenly on the Darling--Dismay at finding the water salt--Retreat to Mount Harris--Meet the relief party--Renewed attempt down the Castlereagh River--Trace it to the Darling--Find the water in that river still salt--Return--Second expedition to follow the Morumbidgee--Favourable anticipations--Launch of the boats and separation of the party--Unexpected junction with the Murray--Threatened hostilities with the natives--Averted in a most singular manner--Junction of large river from the North--Sturt's conviction that it is the Darling--Continuation of the voyage--Final arrival at Lake Alexandrina--Return voyage--Starvation and fatigue-- Constant labour at the oars and stubborn courage of the men--Utter exhaustion--Two men push forward to the relief party and return with succour. Chapter IV [to 1836]