XXVlll 



troubled spirits. "Get the 'billy' on/' we 

 shout as we climb, and in a, few minutes 

 more we can see the lights inside the huts, 

 and are soon alongside, and our troubles 

 for the time being: are ended; just at 

 half past 8 p.m. There are two huts on the 

 hill, in the timber, one being higher on 

 the hill than the other, and from the high- 

 er one came an old friend — Mr, G. TJenison 

 Bell — to meet us, and we introduced our- 

 selves, to his utmost astonishment. Al- 

 though heartily pleased to see us, yet he 

 thought it savoured somewhat of lunacy 

 to come into this country in such weather, 

 more particularly did he apply this to my- 

 self, with all my photographic baggage; 

 and I believe he was right. 



Mr. Bell is here, I understand, in the 

 interests of the Great Western Railway 

 Co., prospecting the country. However, 

 here Ave were, right in the 

 heart of the Pelion country, 

 and, wet or fine, we would have to 

 make the best of it. and so we really did. 

 With a splendid fire, a change of dry 

 ■clothing, plenty of "tucker'" and hot tea, 

 we soon regained our normal condition, 

 and felt comfortable, and even happy, al- 

 though the wind and rain roared and 

 splashed outside. Next morning (Satur- 

 day, 6th inst.), at daybreak, we Avere rous- 

 ed up by the packers to knoAv our intem- 

 tions, and. considering our struggles of the 

 previous day, and the fact of the weather 

 still continuing very wet, and no prospect 

 of change, we decided to put in the day 

 at Pelion, and hope for the best. The 

 w'eather was south-westerly, plenty of 

 wind, Avith heavy rain squalls, and a low 

 scud driving across the sky at a tremend- 

 ous pace. However, about mid-day it be- 

 gan to improve, and by 1 o'clock it stopped 

 raining, and cleared enough to allow ns to 

 get outside and look around. The two huts 

 are rather snuglj^ situated in the timber, 

 •on the hill above the track, but a much 

 more convenient situation might have 

 been chosen for theim. Thej' are accept- 

 able, however, in any situation in such a 

 -country, and especially under present cir- 

 cumstances. They were erected by a North- 

 ern company holding some mineral con- 

 cessions in the vicinity, which I shall re- 

 fer to later, and are at present only used 

 as rest houses by tramps, like ourselves. 

 Under the able guidance of Mr. Renison 

 Bell, we set out to climb into the country 

 lying behind the huts — to the south-east — 

 and, passing through a belt of dense 

 myrtle scrub, rising rapidly, we soon gain- 

 ed an open plateau, under the Pelion 

 Range, from which we could pick up our 

 last night's course, and view our pros- 

 pective one to Barn Bluff as well. We 

 found ourselves surrounded by a chain of 



high mountains forming a basin, and hav- 

 ing a radius of somethiug like four or five 

 miles, Avith an opening to the north and 

 north-west of, perhaps, a couple of miles, 

 vA^here, stretching aAvay in the distance, 

 are open button-rush plains, rise>s, and 

 timber patches, Avith an impressive back- 

 ground of Barn liluff and Cradle Moun- 

 tains towering up against the sky. This 

 great basin, in which AA^e stand, forms 

 the head waters ol the Forth River, and 

 a vast and magnificent gorge, into which 

 the contributions from this basin empties, 

 13 formed on the open, northern side al- 

 ready noted, running outwards, as far as 

 can be seen, in a north-easterly direction. 

 The gateway, if I may so term it, of this 

 great Forth gorge, is in keeping Avith its 

 grandeur, for, on the east, stands up bold- 

 ly and fully from the plain, the west- 

 ern termination of Mount Oakley (whose 

 range continues easterly for four or five 

 miles, and forms the northern side of the 

 basin), with its broken columnar green- 

 stone formation, resembling, rather strik- 

 ingly, our Cape Raoul; while on the west 

 the fine proportions of Mount Pelion West, 

 with a grand columnar greenstone cap- 

 ping, conical somewhat to the east, but 

 resolving into a great wall facing north. 

 Pelion West forms the western end of the 

 great half-circular chain of mountains 

 on which Ave were now standing, its east- 

 ern termination being a conical mount, 

 with a sharp, natty, gr'^enstone pinnacle 

 ton. called East Pelion, and between these 

 hvo extremities of the chain are three 

 finely-proportioned mountains, one on the 

 west, called Mount Ossa, now named 

 "Backhouse," after the great philantrop- 

 ist and scientist, and friend of J. B. 

 Walker's father, after whom he named 

 his son .James, the remaining tAvo being 

 nameless. The Surveyor-General suggest- 

 ed this name as an association for the 

 purpose of better identification of Mr. 

 Walker. Here was a chance to per- 

 petuate the memories of two of Tas- 

 mania's worthy sons, for what can be more 

 graceful, and also sensible, than the keep- 

 ing alive, topographically, the names of 

 those who have nobly and unselfishly 

 served their country? Tfiis form of no- 

 menclature, in conjunction with native 

 names ,is, I think, most desirable, and I 

 cannot he'lp again repeating what I have 

 often said before, that it is a pity some 

 authoritative system of nomenclature, un- 

 dertaken by a recpgnised body, should not 

 be established to deal with such important 

 matters. 



The two names chosen by us, and whicli 

 have since been approved by the Surveyor- 

 General, were Bonwick and Walker, men 

 whose tastes and inclinations) were so 

 much alike, and whose sympathies and 



