6o PiTCHiiR AND SiiCKLAND, -i W'i'c/i (if Muiysvitle. [voV^XXXlII 



and \\(jith thu journey to sec. They had been noted increasing 

 in si/e for some time as we passed along. Some of them were 

 lOo feet high, witli liunk> i8 to 20 feet in girth, and had extra- 

 ordinary knobs o\- excrescences on them, which gave tliem the 

 appearance of rustic gnarled specimens. Profuse growths of 

 Sphagnum Mess are on the bases of their trunks, which also 

 support immense clusters of several species of Polypodium and 

 other fen;s. whicli are at times found to he c}iiphytal. Par- 

 ticularly pretty water scenes ai)ound at intervals along the 

 path here, as the water forms little cascades and flows out from 

 the overhanging Beech trees, especially when lit with shafts 

 of sunlight. I'p to this spot the track has been about 8 to 10 

 feet in width. Beyond it is only a footway, but a beautiful 

 one. well defined, and through a continuous avenue of Beeches 

 for two miles, with terns and mosses as the j^rincipal under- 

 growtii. Along this patli we observe tlie Straj) Fern. Lomaria 

 Patei'soiii, anti tliousands of seedling Myrtle Beeches, some of 

 each ol which we collect on tlie return journey to bring to 

 Melbourne. It is while traversing this path at a distance of 

 about half a mile from the entrance to the " Forest of Arden." 

 and near to where the " (ilover Walk " (another tourists' track 

 from Mount Arnold) joins our track, that we observe the 



Phantom Falls " on tlie 0})posite side of the river. These 

 falls are .seen plunging down the extreme end of Mount Margaret 

 from a height oi about 400 or 500 feet. The waters fall in 

 .several series of cascades before flowing into the river. \'iewed 

 from our ])osition. the stream apjjears to be about ten feet in 

 width, and forms a beautiful sight in the sunhght. A slight 

 error regarding the position of these falls is made in the tourists' 

 plan, as they are thereon indicated as being opposite to 

 " Miu'rav Pass." whereas the board drawing attention to these 

 falls, and the falls themselves, are not visible mitil one has 

 passed through the " I'orest of Arden " for half a mile. 

 Although Coachwhip and Lyre birds gave evidence of their 

 presence along our route, it was only here that one of our party 

 observed one of the latter birds. 



Soon after mid-day we reached K^ppel Fall-^. and the sj)ot 

 known as " The Meeting of the Waters. " This i)roved to be 

 one of the grandt'st and most charming i)laces we had ever 

 seen. The water> ol the Kepj)!.'] l-'alls. which originally proceed 

 from Lake Mountain at a height ol 4.800 feet, as they reach 

 their l)a>e, and from the Taggerty Riwr. are broken uj) by 

 immense granite boulder-> into three or four distinct streams. 

 riu--c. with the Snowy ( icek. which (diiic- in from the east 

 lioni the mountain jitak known as Sno\w Hill (height 4.700 

 leet). and another creek flowing in from the north, constitute 

 " Tlie Meeting of the Waters." A substantially Iniilt ])avilion 



