,g73'] Excursion to National Park. 163 



EXCURSION TO THE NATIONAL PARK, WILSON'S 

 PROMONTORY. 



General Report.— By J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S. (Leader). 



The prominence which has been given to the National Park at 

 Wilson's Promontory during the last few years, and the very 

 pleasant recollections of the previous visit undertaken under 

 the auspices of the Club, together with the keen interest taken 

 by the members in all matters pertaining to the Park, en- 

 couraged the committee to select this locality for a second 

 Christmas camp. 



On the previous visit, during Christmas, 1905, the observa- 

 tions of the party were confined chiefly to the western coast 

 of the Promontory, landing at the south-west corner of Corner 

 Inlet, and working south as far as Oberon Bay, and thence 

 across the Promontory to Waterloo Bay on the east coast. 



On the present occasion it was decided to confine our atten- 

 tion chiefly to the Vereker Range and its vicinity. The range 

 is closely adjacent to the landing-place, at the extreme south- 

 west corner of the Inlet, and, running south to Mounts Vereker 

 and Leonard, forms the northern end of the central range. 



The party comprised thirteen members, viz. : — Mr. J. W. 

 Audas, F.L.S., Miss F. Bage, M.Sc, Prof. A. J. Ewart, D.Sc, 

 Ph. D., Mr. L. K. M'Nab, Mr. F. Pitcher, Miss J. Raff, M.Sc, 

 Messrs. E M. K. Raff, J. L. Robertson, M.A., A. J. Robertson, 

 M.Sc, J. Shephard, B. L. Stanton, H. B. Williamson, and 

 J. A. Kershaw (leader). 



With the exception of three members of the party, none 

 had i^reviously visited the National Park, while for the large 

 majority this was their first trip through South (iippsland, 

 and therefore a new ex]:)ericnce to them. 



Leaving ]\Ielbourne by the 7.27 a.m. train on Thursday, 

 26th December, we reached Bennison at 1.30 p.m. From 

 here we continued our journey for another mile and a half by 

 horse tram — a rather novel and primitive means of con- 

 veyance — to Port Welshpool, a small fishing village, until quite 

 recently known as Bowen, situated on the Franklin River, and 

 within a couple of miles of the Inlet. Here, while lunch was 

 partaken of, the luggage was transferred to the two motor 

 l)oats, and everything prepared for an early start. All being 

 ready, we left Port Franklin about 3 o'clock, the party being 

 distributed Ijetween the two motor boats, while a small 

 " flatty " was taken to facilitate the landing of our luggage. 



The trip down the river is not interesting. The low-lying 

 banks are lined with the well-known Spurious Mangrove, 

 Avicennia officinalis, now in seed, which occurs along most of 



