^^^■•'\ Daley, Koies of a Visit to Matlacoota tnlet. 121 



NOTES OF A VISIT TO MALLACOOTA INLET. 



By Chas. Daley, B.A., F.L.S. 



[Read before the Field Naturalists' Chtb of Victoria, i itJi June, T917.) 



Two years ago, having started on a walking tour from the 

 Lakes to Mallacoota, we reached Orbost, on the Snowy River, 

 where an abnormal rainfall of many inches effectuall}^ pre- 

 vented further progress eastwards. However, in January last 

 I again essayed the journey, but decided to go by steamer to 

 Eden, on Twofold Bay (New South Wales), and thence come 

 back to Mallacoota by coach and motor-boat. 



With this project in view, I proceeded by the steamship 

 Sydney, which includes calls at two Tasmanian ports 01 route, 

 the first of which is Stanlej'. The town nestles on the 

 sheltered side of " The Nut," a towering mass of basaltic rock 

 rising abruptly from the ocean's verge at Circular Head to a 

 height of several hundred feet. Stanle}^ is an old town, with 

 an English look about it, and has a picturesque old barracks 

 as a relic of the early penal days. The scanty vegetation 

 along the sandy coast behind " The Nut " presented no new 

 features, acacia and tea-tree prevailing, with the usual under- 

 growth of bracken, &c., similar to Victorian shores. On the 

 sward was an abundance of introduced weeds, the English 

 daisy being in bloom on every moist spot, and the sweet-briar 

 in profusion. 



The next port of call was Devonport, on the Mersey. 

 Prettily situated, with a rich agricultural and mineral district 

 behind it, this town has made steady progress of late years. 

 It has a good port, and does considerable trade with Victoria. 

 We took the opportunity of a day in port to take a motor-boat 

 up the Mersey to Latrobe, a thriving country town some miles 

 up the river. At low tide the river shows a large extent of 

 shallow flats frequented b}/ Waders. Part of our journey was 

 a drive through the bush, offering again no features different 

 to the mainland. Leaving Devonport, we pursued a placid 

 course eastward through Bass Strait, within sight of the 

 picturesque mountain ranges and outline of Northern Tas- 

 mania. Outside of the strait the Victorian coast-line, with 

 the long extent of the Ninety-mile Beach, was skirted, Capes 

 Conran and Everard, with Ram Head and Little Ram Head, 

 being prominent features. Nearing Cape Howe, Genoa Peak 

 (1,611 feet in height) is a conspicuous land-mark. A few miles 

 distant is Gabo Island, with its warning light, and beyond it 

 the low, sandy extremity of Cape Howe, marking the eastern 

 border-line between Victoria and New South Wales. Disaster 

 Bay, the scene of the Ly-ee-moon wreck, a commodious inlet, 

 comes in view, the Cape Green lighthouse dcnciting its 



