1 66 AuDAs, Wanderings in East Gippsland. [^''^jarf'^'' 



started from Bairnsdale by coach at 4.30 p.m. on the i6th inst. 

 for Bruthen, 17 miles distant, the first stage of the journey. 

 It was some considerable time since I had done any coaching, 

 and transit on the overloaded, cuml:)ersome coach, drawn by 

 four remarkably staunch horses, was rather a novel experience. 

 We had not proceeded far on the journey before I realized 

 that the staunchest of horses would be required, for the road 

 wound over high sand-hills, ascending continually, and when 

 a few miles out from Bairnsdale we beheld, spread before us, 

 the beautiful panorama of Lake King, with the Mitchell River 

 winding its tortuous course like a silver ribbon, and the bluffs 

 at Eagle Point gleaming golden red in the sunset. All along 

 the coach track the timber consisted chiefly of the three 

 eucalypts, E. macrorrhyncha (Stringybark), E. viminalis (Manna 

 Gum), and E. melliodora (Yellow Box), the latter species being 

 much infested by the parasitical mistletoe Loranthus pcndnlus. 

 Further on we passed through fine groves of Banksia scrrata, 

 the saw-leaved Banksia, whose graceful foliage lent quite a 

 park-like appearance to the view ; otherwise, the country was 

 rather hungry looking, being covered with bracken, sedges, and 

 tea-tree, but the prosperous appearance of numerous large 

 orchards amply demonstrated that this so-called third-class 

 land is well adapted for fruit-growing. 



The first stoppage was at Sarsfield, on the Nicholson River, 

 in the vicinity of which I noticed the following leguminous 

 shrubs in bloom — viz.. Davicsia ulicina, PitUencEa scahra, P. 

 daphnoides, Platylohiiim formosion. Acacia jitniperina, and A. 

 suaveolens ; and just after crossing the river we beheld masses 

 of Prostanthera rotundifolia — covering quite an acre of ground, 

 and of the unusual height of 8 to 12 feet — the beautiful purple 

 flowers of which drew admiring remarks from the passengers. 

 This shrub is, in my opinion, one of the best of our Labiates, 

 and is well worthy of trial in our gardens. Thereafter we 

 descended even more steeply than we ascended, and negotiated 

 a part of the road known as " Dirty Hollow," so named by the 

 bullock drivers on account of the very difficult and dirty state 

 of the track ; and I certainly breathed more freely when we 

 were safely over, and registered a mental note that the pinch 

 deserved the title. 



On the rich Tambo flats at Bruthen is situated the largest 

 peach orchard in Victoria, from which the fruit is shipped to 

 a canning factory at Bairnsdale. This ended the first stage of 

 the journey, and I rested the night at the Star Hotel, but was 

 astir early the next morning, as the coach left for Tara at the 

 unearthly hour of 4 a.m. Outside Bruthen the Tambo River 

 reaches its greatest width, and it is sjianned by a magnificent 

 l)ridge of recent construction. 



