32 



BOTANY OF NORTH-WESTERN NEW SOUTH WALES.* 



By Fred. Turner, F.L.S., F.R.H.S., etc. 



(Plate i.) 



Introduction. 



North-western New South Wales, as defined b}^ this paper, 

 includes that section of country lying between the boundary of 

 this State and Queensland and the parallel 32^ South and the 

 meridians 147° to 151° 20' East; to the south of parallel 31° S., how- 

 ever, the eastern boundary is the meridian 151°. E. It has an area 

 of about fifty-seven thousand five hundred square miles. The 

 configuration of this region consists of mountain ranges, isolated 

 hills, both very steeply and gently undulating country and 

 immense nearly level plains. The principal mountain ranges are 

 the Warrumbungle and Liverpool (which I have crossed ten 

 times) in the south, and the Peel, Moonbi, and Nandewar or 

 Hardwicke (all of which I have crossed several times) and the 

 Drummond in the east. There are very many curious rock for- 

 mations on this area, and some especially interesting ones at 

 Timor, near Coonabarabran. None of the mountain ranges or 

 isolated hills are of great altitude, though many of them are 

 very steep, rocky, rugged and difiacult to ascend. In the extreme 

 south-east there is the only burning mountain, as far as is at 

 present known, on this continent. Wingen, as it is called, has 

 an altitude of 1,820 feet, and is looked upon as a great natural 

 curiosity. The fire is not volcanic, but is supposed to be the 

 combustion of a coal seam which has become ignited in some way. 

 The famous Liverpool Plains are a portion of the north-west. 

 These plains, which are known to the aborigines as Cohhon Com- 



* Attention is directed to the description of a new species of EragroHis in 

 the Appendix (p. 91). 



