Oxley was greatly pleased with such a discovery, and landing, ascended a hill which he named Termination Hill.
From the top he obtained a view over a wide extent of country, through which he was able to trace the river for a long distance.

Strangely enough, the hasty glimpse he thus caught of a new and untrodden part of Australia seemed to confirm his fixed belief in the final destination of the Lachlan and the Macquarie as an inland sea.
"The nature of the country and a consideration of all the circumstances connected with the appearances of the river, justify me in entertaining a strong belief that the source of the river will not be found in mountainous country, but rather that it flows from some lake, which will prove to be the receptacle of those inland streams crossed by me during an expedition of discovery in 1818." Oxley named the river the Brisbane, and, taking aboard the two rescued men, the Mermaid set sail for Port Jackson, where she arrived on December 13th.

This ended the chapter of Oxley's discoveries in the field of active exploration..