^"•^1 Daley, Notes of a Visit to Mallacoota Inlet. 12^ 



1917 J -' o 



sheokes grow on some ridges so thickl}^ as to account for the 

 statement of a gentleman at Eden, who had told me of the 

 " pine " forests, the sheokes (to those unfamiliar with Aus- 

 tralian flora) being easily mistaken for pines. The chief species 

 of forest trees forming the " great pillared catlicdral, 

 tremulously green," through which we passed were Stringybark, 

 Eucalyptus obliqua, Blood-wood, E. corymbosa, and the " Apple- 

 tree," Angophora intermedia. Occasionally patches of the 

 Mealy-leaved Eucalypt, E. cinerea, with its greyish appearance, 

 gave a contrast to the darker shades of other gums. 



In the undergrowth, amid the bracken, the most noticeable 

 plants in bloom were the Holly-leaved Lorhatia, the widely- 

 diffused Cassinia or Dogwood, Blue Fringe-Lilies, blue 

 Dampieras, Thrasymene Billardieri, Stackhousia linarifolia, 

 Sccevola siiaveolens, BcBckia Cunniana, Lobelia purpitrascens, 

 a few late spikes of Epacris, and frequently flowers of the 

 Spotted Orchid, Dipodiiim pundatitui, two feet in height, and 

 varied in colouring. The stimulative effect of a copious 

 summer rainfall was seen in the beautifully-tinted young leaves 

 put forth by the gums, from a delicate amber to a rich red 

 shade, through the veined transparency of which the sun's 

 rays richly enhanced the colour scheme. The soft green 

 leafage of the flowering Angophoras, the lighter green of the 

 sheltering Native Cherry, the full whitish bloom of Cassinia, 

 and the rich clusters of creamy flowerets on the Bursaria 

 relieved the more sombre eucalyptian foliage, beneath which 

 the blue and gold of humbler scrub-flowers blended har- 

 moniously with the varied greens in mosses, grasses, and bracken, 

 giving an unusually bright and pleasing effect to the forest scene. 

 The bush road leads through well-shaded country, the vegeta- 

 tion being in its pristine state except near the watercourses, 

 where there is usually some settlement witli maize and orchard 

 cultivation. 



The first stream crossed was the Nullaga, sometimes diflicult 

 to negotiate at high tide. The Kiah River, an unbridged 

 stream, is frequently an obstacle to travellers. The depth of 

 water at our crossing was two feet and a half. In wet weather 

 it is sometimes impassable. The construction of a bridge, for 

 which tenders had been called, will render the road generally 

 available for motor travelling. At a convenient accommoda- 

 tion house at Narrabarba Creek we had lunch, another stopping- 

 place being at Timl^ilico, near the Wallagaraugh River, only 

 a few miles from the border-line, which runs from Cape Howe 

 through Mount Carlyle and Mount Buckle on to Forest 

 Hill. 



Approaching the Genoa River, the country is granitic in 

 character, most of it previously passed through being either 



