Country Soo.lh of Vnrra. 275 



S /trill (J rale. — A vallev luiis in ;i south-eiisterly direction near 

 I he (lippshuid railwjiy from a little beyond Clayton to about a 

 mile before Dandenoug. It receives very little from the south; on 

 ih^ south side of the railway is tlie ridge just referred to gradually 

 <leseending in thiee miles from 170 to 100 above sea level. This 

 Springvale valley reieives tributaries from the north; the most 

 westerly of the tril)utaries receives valleys falling south-east off 

 the high land alxuit Xotting Hill. A fall of 20 feet to the mile in 

 (he Springvale valley seems to be sufficient to alh)W recent scouring 

 out of th<' channel, necessitating the protection of bridges. This 

 is in agreenieiit with (lardiner's ("reek. The Brighton valleys, 

 though slightly steeper on tlie whole, show little tendency to scour, 

 a difference which is no doul)t due to the slow delivery of rain 

 from the highly aljsorptive tertiary sands. Tlie valleys of Spring- 

 vale and its tributaries are often comparatively broad and open. 



Kast of Notting Hill one of the heads of this system runs south- 

 .south-wcst across the Fern Tree Gully-road. It starts about three- 

 ([uarters of a mile to the north-east where a low ridge separates it 

 fiom (lien Waverley. 



(j'ltii Wnvtrley. — This is an open valley with gentle slopes near 

 the crossing of Springvale-road and the Waverley-road. Its west 

 ond is highest, being formed of the hills north-Avest of Wheeler's 

 Hill. Beyond these there is a rapid fall to the Dandenong Creek. 

 The outlet from (lien Waverley is now by a steep narrow valley 

 to Scotchnuin's Creek. The open valleys coidd have been formed 

 if tliis outlet were maintained foi- some time at a higher level. The 

 present outlet crosses tlie high land north of Xotting Hill, and it is 

 probal)le that the original outlet was south-easterly across the low 

 ridge whicii now separates Clcn Waverley from the valley falling 

 to Springvale. 



Northward from Glen Waverley the Springvale-road crosses a 

 number of gullies which fall east to the Dandenong Creek. A line 

 drawn north-west from Wheeler's Hill and another south-west from 

 Mitiliam would maik the approximate limits of this area. Further 

 nortli, at the corner of Canterbury-road, there is a valley which 

 fonns one of the heads of .Main Creek. The above description is 

 NutFicient to show clearly that the north-west and south-east valleys 

 arc the rule throughout tlu' country south of Gardiner's Creek and 

 the Springvale valley. There is no reason to exclude these two 

 creeks from this regular system. North of Gardiner's Creek the 

 south-westerly fall of its principal triVjutaries is the prominent 

 feature, but this it to some extent anticipated in the tributaries 

 «jf the Elsternwick Creek. Main Creek receives most of its waters 



