126 Nethercote, Girls' Camp at National Park. [voT."^xxxvi. 



A GIRLS' CAMP AT THE NATIONAL PARK (WILSON'S 

 PROMONTORY). 



By (Miss) G. Nethercote. 

 (Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, i ^th Oct., 1919.) 

 Despite foresliadowings of sand-flies, snakes, and sharks, 

 Saturday, i8th January, 1919, saw our party of eleven bound 

 for a ten days' camp at the National Park. Leaving town by 

 the 7.40 a.m. train for Bennison (113 miles), a little town on 

 the Franklin River, our journey so far was uneventful. Our 

 tents, bedding, and provisions accompanied us, with the ex- 

 ception of bread, which was picked up at Foster en route. A 

 formidable pile it looked, packed in sacks and piled on a trolly ; 

 but eleven hungry people, without the chance of replenishing 

 their larder for ten days, required a substantial supply. 



Here I'll pause for a moment and side-track on provisions. 

 Our biggest problem was bread. Meat, milk, vegetables, and 

 fruit could be taken tinned or in dried form. Would our bread 

 keep ? Of course, it would be stale long before ten days had 

 passed ; but, worst of all, would it become blue-mouldy ? We 

 had it packed in new flour-bags, except one lot, which was 

 unfortunately put into a previously-used bag. On arrival at 

 camp these were placed on waterproof material, so that no 

 moisture should be drawn into the bags from the ground, and 

 covered with similar material, so as not to dry too quickly. 

 Although dry at the end, it all kept well except the lot in the 

 previously-used bag, which, somewhat early, decorated itself 

 with blue. 



At Bennison, three miles beyond Foster, we left the train, 

 and were told an hour was at our disposal before the tram left 

 for Port Franklin. The day was hot and sultry, and the 

 country flat and treeless. A store some little distance from 

 the station was visited. A wee damsel in charge informed us, 

 " Father charges 3d. for limejuice if you have water in it." 

 The limejuice lasted three glasses, then gave out. As the price 

 of water was not known, it was not passed round. We 

 returned to the station to find our luggage piled on a large 

 trolley, with sides like a hay-waggon ; this, to our surprise, 

 we found was the Port Franklin tram. However, it proved a 

 novel and convenient conveyance, and, drawn by a pair of horses, 

 we soon covered the mile and a half to the P^anklin River 

 landing. A wide stream confronted us here, which, we soon 

 learned, was to our disadvantage, 'as one must leave on low 

 tide and reach the Park on the full, otlierwisc the l)(t;it (^mnot 

 get alongside the klnding-stagr. Sitting on the wharf with 

 lishing-lines, we' saw tlu' witle stream gradnally shrink to a 

 tiny silver ribbon running through wide nuid-flats swarming 



