158 Barnard, In Ihe Weslern Lake District. [^"^[3, 



Nat. 



IN THE WESTERN LAKE DISTRICT. 

 By F. G. a. Barnard. 



(Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, gth October, 191 1.) 

 Although during the thirty years this Club has been in exist- 

 ence papers deahng with various parts of Victoria have been 

 read from time to time, that interesting portion of the State 

 around Camperdown has been left severely alone. Possibly 

 this neglect has been from the reason of the rich pasture-land 

 of the district being non-productive of many novelties in botany 

 or entomology ; but there are other features which should prove 

 attractive to the naturalist, and, with the view of calling atten- 

 tion to the possibilities of the locality, I purpose giving some 

 account of a four days' trip taken last Easter. 



Easter, if preceded a few weeks before by a genial rainfall, 

 is often a very pleasant time of year for a ramble in the country, 

 though not at all promising to the botanist or entomologist. 

 The geologist and physiographist, however, can find some- 

 thing interesting at any time of year, and it is mainly with the 

 geology and physiography I purpose dealing this evening. 



The district was entirely new to me, as Geelong had, up to 

 then, been my farthest point in that direction. I had long 

 wanted to see those remarkable lakes, Gnotuk and Bullen- 

 Merri ; so, putting Professor Gregory's " Geography of Vic- 

 toria " in my pocket to serve as a guide-book, I took the train 

 for Colac on Good Friday morning. The crush at the ticket- 

 office was something to be remembered, and proved fatal to 

 some collecting tubes in my breast pocket. 



Geelong was reached nearly an hour late, which did not- augur 

 well for the rest of the journey. A distant glimpse of the 

 position of Lake Connewarre is obtained as the Barwon is crossed, 

 and then the Barrabool Hills (limestone) come in sight on the 

 right. At Buckley the expanse of Lake Modewarre is seen not 

 far from the line. The Barwon is again crossed soon after 

 leaving Winchelsea, this time flowing north. We are travelling 

 almost on the boundary of the volcanic and the recent 

 formations, the former being on our right, or northern, side, 

 and presently marked by two conspicuous hills. Mounts Gelli- 

 brand and Hesse, named after the first white men to sacrifice 

 their lives in the interests of the exploration of the district, 

 some seventy years ago. Away to the south can be seen the 

 outliers of the Otway Ranges, amongst the guUies of which they 

 are supposed to have become entangled, leaving no trace behind. 



Soon after passing Irrewarra the line skirts the southern 

 shore of Lake Colac, a fine sheet of water about twenty miles 

 in circumference, across which there is a lovely view of the 



