TRAVELLING STOCK

Mr. William Cream, of Geraldton, has forwarded us the following report of a recent trip which he made to the Upper Gascoyne and back :-

I left Geraldton Friday 15th last with pack horses, etc accompanied by Mr.S. Davis of Tibradden. After leaving Geraldton 65 miles behind the grassy country commenced to put in an appearance and the country got better and better the further eastward we went. It was splendid to see rolling grassy plains as far as the eye could reach and this was my expression nearly the whole of the distance I travelled, about 455 miles from Geraldton.

We reached Mr. John S. Davis's Upper Gascoyne station on February 29th. The country here is simply splendid, consisting of rich grass and salt-bush plains, with plenty of water every three or four miles. I left on my return journey for Perth on March 2nd, with 1862 sheep. I had plenty of feed and water as far as the Irwin, where the country was, looking, very dry.

I reached Mr. Davis's runs in this quarter on April 15th the sheep being all well. I then sent 950 sheep to Geraldton for shipment to Fremantle by steamer, and left the Irwin for Perth with 904 Sheep. Part of the road was very bad and I had hard work to get along.

I arrived at Perth on May 23, and was not sorry that the journey was over. Drovers between Geraldton and the North West can always succeed in finding water but there is very little between Geraldton and Perth. I consider that the Government should expend money on the latter part of the stock route in sinking wells for at present it is very difficult to bring stock safely along it.

You have to drive your stock stages of 13 to 37 miles without water and they suffer considerably in consequence, and fall off in condition when they reach the meat market. Between Geraldton and Murchison you will find pools every day and if the pools are dry you come to wells every five to twelve miles.

The Perth end of the route can be made equally as good by the expenditure of a, fair amount of money, as water can almost everywhere be obtained at a depth of from five to eight feet, and at distances of from five to ten miles.

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