J"g"^^'] Bari^ard, Notes of a Visit to W. A. 25 



abundance for miles and miles. At Peterborough (formerly 

 Petersburg), where the line from Broken Hill to Port Pirie 

 crosses the north line, a train-load of zinc tailings on its way 

 to the smelting works at the latter place was seen. A few 

 miles beyond here numbers of native melons were noticed in 

 the railway enclosure. Some very dry, rocky country was 

 entered near Eurelia (1,733 feet above sea-level), where we 

 stopped for tea. Daylight disappeared soon after. At Quorn 

 (234 miles, 961 feet) the Oodnadatta line branches off, and, 

 going north, penetrates 450 miles further towards the heart of 

 Australia. From Quorn to Port Augusta is the most pic- 

 turesque part of the South Australian portion of the line, now 

 narrow gauge, but this was traversed in the dark. Coming back 

 three weeks later the early morning was just hght enough to 

 be able to get an idea of the Pichi Richi Pass, through which 

 the line rises about 1,300 feet in 25 miles. The hills were very 

 abrupt and stony, and only sparsely covered with moderate- 

 sized trees. 



Leaving Port Augusta punctually at 10.30 p.m. on the long 

 run of 1,050 miles to Kalgoorhe, nothing was, of course, seen till 

 nearing Tarcoola (257 miles), when, as daylight appeared, it 

 was seen that we were passing through country similar to that 

 of the Ninety-Mile Desert, between Serviceton and Murray 

 Bridge. It is unfortunate that the train on both its east and 

 west-bound journeys passed through the stretch of salt lakes 

 between Wirrappa and Wirraminna (about 80 miles) during 

 darkness, as, though probably unpicturesque, there should be 

 a certain amount of variety in them. However, I managed 

 to get a glimpse of one by moonlight on my return journey. 

 During the short stoppage at Tarcoola I was able to obtain 

 specimens of the travertine limestone, which outcrops along 

 the line, and has been used extensively for ballast. Tarcoola 

 was expected at one time to prove a good goldfield, but the 

 difficulty of procuring water in such dry country has greatly 

 retarded its mining possibilities. Signs of the industry can be 

 seen some two miles away, to the north of the line. 



Seeing that the Trans-Australian line is laid down east and 

 west within a few miles of the same parallel of latitude — 

 31° S. — and the range of elevation during the 800 miles 

 between Pimba (113 miles) and Zanthus (921 miles) is only 

 270 feet, and that not a running stream or even a dry creek- 

 bed is seen in all that distance, much variation in the vegeta- 

 tion cannot be expected ; still, at the time of year I crossed 

 (30th, 31st August), which is probably the most favourable 

 for flowers, except on the Nullabor Plain, 300 miles from Ooldea 

 to Nareetha, I was within sight of flowering shrubs nearly all 

 the time. The difficulties of botanizing, or rather of identifying 



