Monday, Sept. 6 - Ascent of Mt. Finnegan 10:00 Left Shipton's Flat - Delay fixing broken gear. 11:00 Top of main spur (1760') - Blue gum and oaks, kangaroo grass. Took photos in color and black and white. 12:30 Arrived edge rain forest and camped 50 yds. inside; 2530 ft. Altitude 7:30 P.M. 2600 ft. Five of us in the party (Van, Don, Willie, Roy and LJB). Two packhorses hired from Jack Roberts of Shipton's Flat. Had only one pack saddle. Other gear packed on a riding saddle. Had about 290 lbs. on the two horses. Our bread supply, lamp and a few sundries carried in light back packs. Roberts' horses were good; his gear old and rotten. A brown mare carrying the riding saddle load was inclined to be touchy. She hunched her back as she was being led away from camp, pulled away, and got rid of her pack. That happened twice before we got started, and her surcingle broke a third time before we got far. I led her after that and she soon steadied down and began to crop grass as we went along. The brown gelding led by blackboy Norgi, in the lead, had the habit of bearing off to the right and hitting trees on that side. About 1000 ft. up the mountain, he barged into a tree and broke his surcingle. Had fairly easy traveling most of the way. Followed the main timber haulage track uphill east from the sawmill for about 1/4 mile, and an ascent of 200 ft. or so. From there we followed a big branch 50 ft. and crossed Parrot Creek. From there we went more or less SE uphill for 300 yds., then turned right on a branch of the old timber road we had been following, and almost immediately dropped down into a strip of good rain forest in Bell's Gully. Here we left the old timber road on a sharp right turn into the rain forest (almost west) and crossing Bell's Gully (water in it) on a new-cut track, came to open forest again on a spur rising to the south. Followed an indis- tinct old pack trail up the spur to the 1800 ft. summit of the high west spur of Mt. Finnegan separating the waters of the Annan River and Parrot Creek. Turned east along the high spur ridge and followed it up to the edge of the rain forest at 2600 ft. Passed several old tin workings on crest of the ridge, the highest being at about 2400 ft. altitude. Casuarina abundant in the savanna-forest from Parrot Creek up- wards. Larger trees mostly bloodwood (lower levels), blue gum, and red stringy bark. Some big trees. A dense coating of knee-high kangaroo grass covers the ground. Grass trees with very short stem abundant in places. Attractive country to climb through. The trees very photogenic. Splendid views of mountains west to the Main Divide, blue in the distance, the Big Tableland to the north; and through Stuckey's Gap south to Thornton Peak.