Gurakor-Meari Creek 47 We arrived at Bulolo at 12:30 and interrupted Joe Havel at his lunch to find out that he himself had driven up to Edie Creek and arranged with Bob Franklin to give us the use of a house. Without lunch, we drove on 14 miles to Wau, were John bought a few items at BP's store and Van and I called on ADO John Sinclair. Sinclair very cordial. Has been stationed at Wau only 2 weeks. Has lately spent several years in the Southern Highlands. He was the government officer who went into the new "Shyangri-La"Valley with an oil prospector in 1954 or thereabouts, and about which there was much fuss in the Australian press. Later, Sinclair established a government post in this (Nivani) valley. Radioed Buntings at Lae to send our mail on up care of ADO, Wau. Left Wau about 2:30, and munched biscuits and chocolates (the boys too) as we began the 9 1/4 mile climb to Franklin's place. In this distance, by a narrow but for the type of vehicle we have fairly good road, we rose from 3600 feet at Wau to 6800 ft. at Franklin's Camp on a spur above Meari Creek (correct altitude probably about 6600 ft.). The Meari (pronounced Mary) is a right branch of Edie Creek. The old Day Dawn Mine and 10-head battery, owned by Franklin, is here. Franklin has a house a little above us on the spur. He was drunk when we arrived. Had with him Bill Bradley, works department man in charge of the Wau- Edie Creek Road and a new branch being built to the top of Mt. Kaindi. We followed this new road as far as we could about a month ago. Someone has said that Bradley was champion heavy-weight boxer of the British Army; he certainly has the physique, and he was sober this afternoon. Our Franklin house has two small bedrooms, a livingroom with open fire- place, good kitchen with wood stove, shower room, and a deep-pit toilet in an en- closed part of the back verandah. The place looks crumby from the outside, but an inside view shows good sound construction of the fine Araucaria lumber of these mountains. There is some ffort at artistic framing of the fireplace and living- room doors. Mining assayer's retort pots, painted blue and green, are bracketed on the walls to hold the flowers that some woman used to decorate her home. Temperature outside at 8 pm was 58 F., with drizzly rain falling. Tuesday, May 12. Late yesterday afternoon there was rain. A foggy, early evening followed, clearing later. Temperature at 6:30 this morning 54 F. Tonight our open fireplace is in use. Some mist on the higher hills late today, but no rain. A morning of reconnaissance. Van having 4 Rattus niobe (from 10 traps within 50 yards of the house) to measure, we got a late start on the drive of a mile or more up to Edie Creek. Met about half way two old timers, Tom Bubbers, who lives on the same spur as us and has boys working in the bed of Edie Creek, and Scotty Sutherland, who with Ned Partridge (absent with his sick wife) are tributing the gullies at the headwaters of Edie Creek from the New Guinea Gold Coy. Scotty rode with us back to his camp. A tall, spectacled, lean Scot past 60 who has been gold fossicking in New Guinea since 1926 and has been 9 years in this present stay at Edie Creek. Scotty made tea for us with water boiled in an electric jug (this area has electricity brought up the mountains from Bulolo). A bachelor doing for himself in a spotless small house with newly painted floors. Will not allow a native in the house. Sits up late reading such things as the Economist and Time magazine. A highly intelligent and well informed man with a cheerful if hard-headed philosophy of life. Later showed us three of the boxing shows he is working with a total of 39 Watut boys. Says they are getting just about enough gold to be payable. Saw some of the coarser stuff being panned with quicksilver by two natives. The gold contains much silver and is worth only 7 pounds an ounce (standard price is over 15 pounds).