they reached newcastle waters in three months, and then took a week to rest. stuart spent the next five weeks searching for water. he finally found a series of waterholes, creeks and rivers which meant the whole group were able to continue to the north. he gave up trying to reach the victoria river. when they got to the roper river, which had been explored by ludwig leichhardt in 1845, he knew he could easily go west to the gulf of carpentaria, but instead chose to continue north. auld later said that "...the mosquitos and flies were terrible. our hands, feet and necks were blistered with their bites." they crossed arnhem land, and made the way along the edge of what is now kakadu national park. he followed the adelaide river, but when the ground became too soft and muddy, they went further north to the mary river and eventually reached the sea.