146 AuDAS, The Vicfoi'ian Grampians [vy^rxxix 



ONE OF NATURE'S WONDERLANDS— THE 



VICTORIAN GRAMPIANS. 



By J. W. AuDAS, F.L.S., National Herbarium, Melbourne. 



(Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, gth Dec, 191 2.) 



My admiration for our beautiful flora has frequently led me to 

 the farthest corners of our State, and during the last Easter 

 vacation I set out with the intention of seeing some of the 

 floral beauty of the Grampians, well named the garden of 

 Victoria, but bad weather compelled me to abandon the visit. 

 It can therefore be imagined, after my disappointment, with 

 what pleasure I received an invitation from the Hon. W. H. 

 Edgar, Minister of Public Works, to accompany him and a 

 parliamentary party on a visit of inspection to this glorious 

 wonderland on 5th September, 1912; and at that gentleman's 

 request I spent ten days in the district, visiting the more 

 interesting places, with the view of reporting on their attrac- 

 tions for visitors. 



My observations were naturally of a botanical nature, 

 but I was, nevertheless, not unmindful of the many other 

 beauties, which are such as to raise the unbounded admira- 

 tion of all beholders, and I marvelled that this beautiful 

 mountain district, replete with every variety of scenery the 

 eye could admire or the heart desire, should be so little 

 known. That a place of such exceptional beauty, far sur- 

 passing mountain districts in other States which are adver- 

 tised through the length and breadth of the world, should 

 be merely placed in the dull monotony of " places suitable 

 to visit " in a tourist list, and that its beauties could be 

 described in the set terms which would suit any district, 

 seemed incredible. No orthodox description, no set terms, 

 are sufficient to describe the glorious Grampians, whose 

 beauty, in its endless diversity, would defy the brush of an 

 artist to reproduce or the pen of an author to adequately 

 describe. If these mountains were situated in the wilds of 

 Croajingolong or a hundred miles from a railway terminus 

 one would not wonder at their attractions being unknown, 

 but they are, on the contrary, very easily accessible, being 

 practically situated on the main Melbourne-Adelaide line. 

 Six hours' luxurious railway transit from Melbourne, fol- 

 lowed by a two hours' coach ride from Stawell, places one 

 in the heart of a district displaying unapproachable attrac- 

 tions on every side. Any literature relating to the scenery 

 of the Grampians which T had previously chanced upon had 

 invariably conveyed to my mind the impression that the Gram- 

 pians were really huge rock-masses, of gigantic grandeur 

 undoubtedly, but, nevertheless, barren and uninteresting. 

 How thoroughly this im])ression was dispelled may be 

 imagined when I beheld the beautiful typical vegetation, 



