^"'i^'^"] D'OMr.kAlX. .1 Trip to the Rircr-Scrubs. 117 



A Trip to the Northern River-Scrubs of 



N.S.W. 



By E. A. D'OAIBRAIX, M.I5., Member of Council, R.A.(3.U. 



When camped out in 1919 with the R.A.O.U. members at the 

 Bunya Mts., Queensland, it was decided by a few of us that, all 

 being well, we should pay a visit to the big scrubs of the Dorrigo 

 ■district in the following spring. The party was to consist of 

 Messrs. F. Morse, R. Hays, A. S. Le Souef, N. Cayley and the 

 writer. Unfortunately, Messrs. Le Souef and Cayley were un- 

 able to attend, but others were induced to make the trip in their 

 I)lace. These were Messrs. A. Mawhinney, J. Bradley and W. 

 I'urkiss. 



The plan was that the writer was to go to "Coocalla," Garah, 

 the home of Mr. F. Morse, at the end of September, and after 

 a fortnight's enjoyment of the hospitality of his host and hostess 

 and the great pleasure and excitement of investigating the bird- 

 life of the plains and swamps, including a camp-out by four of 

 us at the Gwydir River, 'A\'atercourse" (a list of the birds found 

 here was recorded in The Biini, vol. xxi., })art 1), a start was to 

 be made east towards the coast and the Dorrigo Scrubs. 



At the end of the . second week in October, Messrs. Morse, 

 Hays and myself, in the former's car, said good-bye to Coocalla, 

 and, laden with camp gear of nearly every description, made a 

 start for "The Prairie," the home of Mr. Mawhinney, where 

 we were to pick him up, and also our cook, Jim, the latter a very 

 necessary addition, as all who have put in a hard day in the big 

 scrubs will admit. To arrive "home" tired out and have to set 

 to and prepare and eat (the least troublesome), and wash up 

 a meal means a tedious ending. 



Before leaving Coocalla there was much map-reading o' nights, 

 and as there had just been recorded 5 inches of rain at Dorrigo 

 great disappointment was in our hearts. Anyone who knows the 

 Dorrigo roads, with their steep descents and equally stitT climbs, 

 and the "hairpin" turns and bends, will realise that the risk to 

 life is very great if rain in any quantity has fallen. Five inches ! 

 We were indeed depressed. In addition, rain on the black soil 

 plains of North Western N.S.W. means an absolute certainty of 

 being bogged up to the axles, and staying where it happened, 

 until the sun hardened things up, for no horses could pull us out 

 if any were to be obtained readily. However, the rain did not 

 reach very far west of the great tableland which divides the 

 waters of the coastal rivers from those of the Western plains, 

 and so we were enabled, going via Garah, to reach "The Prairie" 

 without mishap. 



A hearty welcome from !Mr. and I\Irs. Mawhinney awaited us, 

 and over tea such wonderful stories were related of the bird-life 

 of "The Prairie" and some neighbouring belts of belah and other 



