^j^P'^'l AuDAs, Through the Murra Murra Country. 6i 



Yellow Hakea, H. nodosa, growing to the height of twelve feet, 

 for it is usually a dwarf shrub of three or four feet. The Tassel 

 Cord Rush, Restio tetraphylliis, abounded here on swampy 

 ground. This restiaceous plant is very ornamental, and would 

 make a splendid I)order plant for edging lagoons in parks and 

 gardens. It grows to about six feet, and is crowned by hand- 

 some clusters of brown-tinted flower-heads. On the level 

 country next traversed we passed fine groves of the wattles 

 Acacia mollissima and A. dealhata. In the grassy glades 

 between we disturbed mobs of large Forester Kangaroos and 

 flocks of Emus. Our dog also created chaos among some fat 

 and contented wild pigs which were vigorously uprooting the 

 bracken fern, and they rushed off through the scrub with much 

 indignant snorting and grunting. Following along one of the 

 many lire-breaks whicli have been cut through the forest at 

 intervals to check the ravages of bush-fires, we observed the 

 tracks of a couple of deer, which we followed for some distance, 

 but failed to catch a glimpse of the animals. 



Continuing, we passed through some fine red gum country, 

 consisting largely of young growing timber, while in some cases 

 the older trees had attained huge dimensions. We noted 

 particularly one, inside the hollow of which several men could 

 camp comfortably. Further on we passed through some fine 

 yellow box country, in which locahty there are several fine 

 large apiaries. Both yellow box and red gum are splendid 

 honey-producing trees, and a large quantity of this useful 

 commodit}^ is sent from this district to the Melbourne market. 

 Deviating from the main track at this point, we traversed what 

 is known as Mount Victory Range (recently so named in com- 

 memoration of the termination of the great European war), 

 and from this vantage-point a fine view is obtained. To the 

 north one looks down upon Lake Wartook, nestling picturesquely 

 among tlic sliade of surrounding hills, while to the south lies 

 the Victoria Valley, walled on the one hand by the great 

 mountains of the Victoria Range, with the head waters of the 

 Glenelg River creeping around its base, and on the other by the 

 Serra Range, stretching in numerous peaks, tier upon tier, to 

 its termination in Mount Abrupt, near Dunkeld, just discernible 

 in the distance. After resting and spending some time in 

 examining this locaUty and feasting on the glorious views 

 stretching in all directions from tliis point, we once more began 

 our descent into tlie great solitary regions known as tlie Murra 

 Murra and Victoria Valley. 



Game became plentiful when we reached the lagoons and 

 swamps in more level country, and Black Duck, Teal, and Black 

 Swans rose in great numbers as we disturbed them from their 

 feeding-grounds. It was late in the cvt-ning before we struck 



