26 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



rock. From Lindenow on to the west, devonian rock masses 

 may still be seen in siiu in the river bed and together with 

 their associated porphyries they no doubt formed the coast line 

 during the deposition of the earlier tertiaries from Lindenow to 

 Moitun Creek. These ancient rocks, however, are at a consider- 

 able distance from Bairnsdale and Bellevue, so that the gravels 

 there must have been brought down by the river itself or by 

 other streams from the north. As we shall presently shew, 

 there is undoubted evidence of drifts due to coast action at 

 Moitun Creek, Lucas Creek, etc., but the coarser and far more 

 widely spread gravels now under consideration have, we think, 

 been largely transported by running water. 



The relation of the gravels to the miocene ironstone has been 

 chiefly studied at Bellevue, where alone the contact of the two 

 deposits is well displayed, and the following extracts from notes 

 taken on the spot will explain our views upon the somewhat 

 complex problem presented. 



The gravel appears to be merely a terrace deposit due to an 

 old stream. It is too coarse for simply marine wash, being so far 

 removed from its source. It can be traced westward for some 

 distance, and since it does not extend laterally into the hill, it 

 clearly represents a channel cut throngli the old miocene bed. 

 Reference to Fig. 5 shews that in the quarry gravel occurs at a 

 lower elevation than an exposure of the fossiliferous ironstone, but 

 this is explained by supposing that the drift has cut away portions 

 of the bed and has left blocks of ironstone, which now protrude 

 here and there, through the gravel. Though in places at a higher 

 level than the latter they are the older strata. On levelling 

 across from the quarry to Underwood's garden the fossiliferous 

 blocks were met with at the same elevation ; the gravel is above, 

 while beneath there is no gravel, but only clay and ironstone. 

 A flag-post hole was lately sunk in front of the house to a depth 

 of six feet through this gravel, so that the latter is there on the 

 top. It may be added, also, that, though occasional loose blocks- 

 of fossiliferous ironstone are found comparatively high up on the 

 banks, the gravel invariably shews higher still. 



The precise age of the gravel drifts is doubtful. So far as the 

 evidence goes they may be of any age from pliocene to recent. 

 They are probably contemporaneous with the formation of the 



