58 Pitcher and Stickland, A Week at Marysville. [vi^.'^^xxxi'ii. 



Fine sprays of bloom and foliage were brought for the decora- 

 tion of our lodgings each evening. 



A bright, clear, frosty morning greeted us on Tuesday, the 

 20th. and after having procured a few young plants, before 

 breakfast, for taking back to our Melbourne gardens, we did 

 ample justice to our morning meal and then started on our 

 journey for the second time to Keppel Falls. At a spot about 

 half a mile along the Wood's Point road, after crossing the 

 bridge over the Steavenson River at the north end of Marys- 

 ville, tourists and others cannot fail to observe a well-painted 

 notice board, indicating that it is the commencement of what 

 is known as the " Talbot Drive," which eventually leads to 

 the celebrated Keppel Falls, which are distant about 7J miles. 

 The " Drive "is so named in honour of a former State Governor, 

 Sir Reginald Talbot. For a mile in length and about 60 feet 

 in width it has been entirely cleared of all timber and scrub. 

 The track then becomes an ordinary but well cleared and fairly 

 level vehicular one, through one of the finest of our Victorian 

 forests. After continuing for half a mile along this track, 

 the Taggerty River (which has been heard in the distance, with 

 its murmiu"ings and gurglings, as it travels over its rocky bed) 

 is reached. A flock of Gang-Gang Cockatoos is seen, and their 

 distinct screechings heard ; a wallaby is observed, too, jumping 

 into obscurity among the scrub, and the Harmonious Thrush, 

 with its beautiful song, made the tourists reaJize they were in 

 one of Nature's vast wild gardens. Where the track first 

 comes alongside, the river is about 12 yards in width — a beautiful 

 clear, white-foamed stream, ever flowing over its rock and 

 l)oulder-strewn course. It continues in close proximity to the 

 track, always in view, and so makes additionally charming the 

 wliole of the remaining six miles of journey. Two stately 

 white Mountain Ash trees, Eucalyptus rcgnans (of which a photo- 

 graph is shown), one on either side of us, are passed as we enter 

 upon the portion of the track known as " The Valley Beautiful " 

 — a title which l)ut very inadequately describes the place. On 

 either side of the track through the valley are large, healthy 

 specimens of the following plants in full bloom : — The large- 

 flowering form of the Woolly Tea-tree, Lcptospcrinum lanigerimi, 

 var. gvandifioruui. Holly-leaved and Long-leaved Lomatias, 

 L. ilici folia, and h. longifolia. Native Musk, the several Snow- 

 Hushes, Olearia stellulata, var. Virata, and other Olearias, 0. 

 myrsiiioidcs and \'ar. eruhescens. the (Tu'ist mas-Hush, Native 

 Hazel. l\ (ipc'tiild. \\\r l*rlrkl\- (Opro^nui. Cuprosnia Billardicri, 

 Xati\'(' MulhiMry. S;uul-tl\' l^usli. Zicna Smit/iii, " J-Janyalla," 

 Pitfosponiiii hicolor, Hlanket-tree, Golden (ioodia. Elderberry 

 Ash. and others. These siuubs or small trees were never seen 

 by us i)re\i()usly in such luxuriance of growth as here. The 



