BY R. VON LENDENFELD, PH.D. 47 



Between the sources of the Murray in the west and the sources 

 of the Snowy River in the east, there lies an extensive plateau on 

 an average about 5000 feet high and extending over about 160 

 square miles. This plateau extends N. and S. for about 22 miles, 

 and has an average breadth of 8 miles. A mile to the east of the 

 western margin of the plateau the main range is situated 

 extending in the same direction as the plateau from N. to S. In 

 that part of the main range lies the highest mountain in 

 Austialia which I mapped, measured, and ascended for the first 

 time, 7256 feet high, Mount Townsend. In a western secondary 

 range, a mile to the north of my highest peak, another mountain 

 is situated, which has been frequently ascended and which is 

 ci'owned by a stone cairn. This latter has the name Mount 

 Kosciusco or Mueller's Peak, and is 7171 feet high. Round 

 about on this plateau there are numerous hills over 7000 feet in 

 height, and the Hat extended bottoms of some of the valleys lie 

 about 6000 feet high. 



Even now we find small patches of snow lying on the south- 

 eastern face of the ranges, the remnants of snow drifts all the 

 year round in heights above 6500 feet. These snow patches ai^e 

 never found in "deep ravines" as Mr. T. Stirling (1) states. 

 Snow patches such as those on Kosciusco only lie close to the 

 exposed parts where the wind blows a great amount of snow 

 together and stores it for the summer. 



Where eternal snow is to be found even now there glaciers 

 must have been at the time of the glacial period, if it ever 

 existed. I found in reality, as I anticipated, most beautiful and 

 indubitable traces of glacial action in these valleys, and I con- 

 clude from my observations that the glaciers of that, very recent, 

 glacial period in Australia, covered a part of the plateau mentioned 

 and extended over about 100 square miles. 



The evidence of glacial action which I discovered were roches 

 montonnees, glacier polished rocks, in several places above 5800 

 feet. Wherever the rocks protrude from the face of a mountain 



(1) Stirling. Remarks on the Flora of the Australian Alps, &c. Souther 

 Science Record, January, 1885, p. 12. 



