70 Shephard, a Visit to Great Lake, Tasmania, [yj 



Vict. Nat. 

 XXXIll 



A VISIT TO GREAT LAKE, TASMANIA. 



By J. Shephard. 



(Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, i/t/i April, 1916.) 



A BRIEF holiday in Tasmania in January of this year presented 

 an opportunity of making some natural history investigations 

 of the lake now attracting attention for economic considera- 

 tions. Tasmania is a vevy attractive and interesting coiintrj'. 

 Landing at De\'onport and then proceeding via Launceston 

 to Hobart by motor-car, with the opportimities for seeing 

 around afforded by this method of travel, impresses a con- 

 tinuous panorama on the mind's eye likely to persist. Huge 

 tree-clad bluffs show themselves in the distance, beautiful 

 moimtain streams are crossed, stretches of undulating forest 

 are threaded by the road, until, approaching Deloraine. most 

 magnificent views of the serrated outline of the Western Tier 

 are revealed. Pastoral country of the finest kind is traversed 

 from here to Launceston, but always the mountains — which 

 cannot be escaped in Tasmania — in the background. From 

 Launceston to Hubart an excellent road, 121 miles long, 

 traverses nearly the whole length of the island. Rising by a 

 steady grade, and crossing, some miles out. the South Esk 

 River, the land is sparsely settled, and apparently devoted to 

 grazing. Along the Midlands sheep-farms extend over the 

 plains, and away to the east the highest peak. Ben Lomond, 

 rises abruptly, and on the west the Western Tier rears high 

 above. Towards Oatlands the grade is upward, and there 

 reaches 1,400 feet above sea-level. From this point the 

 remaining fifty odd miles is a winding descent along well- 

 dissected countrj', imtil the broad Derwent is reached, with 

 Moimt Wellington and the crests associated with it rising some 

 4.000 feet above Hobart. 



A study of the map of Tasmania shows a roughly triangular 

 outline, with l)road estuaries running into the island on all 

 sides, but particularly at the southern end. where jieninsula 

 is joined to jieninsula by narrow necks of land. The geological 

 map, especially when supplemented by visual imj^ressions 

 gained by a journey such as that mentioned, increases the 

 interest greatly. The deep estuaries piercing the land plainly 

 indicate depression of the island in recent geological time, 

 although the highest points reach over 5.000 feet at present. 

 The chief outstanding physiographic feature is the existence 

 of a plateau of from 3.000 to 4,000 feet above sea-level, covering 

 a considerable proportion of the island, and situated centrally, 

 on its north-western l)oundary terminating in a sudden drop 

 to the fertile plains extending from Deloraine to nearly Oatlands. 

 and known as the Great Western Mountahis or Western Tier. 



