CONTRIBUTION TO THE PHYSIOGRAPHY OF 



TASMANIA. 



By Col. W. V. Legge, R.A. 

 [Read Ist December, 1902.] 



[Plate.] 



No. 1. — Pine Island, Great Lake. 



Pine Island is one of the five or six islets which, at wide 

 intervals, dot the surface of the magnificent sheet of water 

 known as the Great Lake. 



Considering the shallowness of its waters and its extremely 

 irregular outline, it is singular that there are so few islands 

 in this lake. Those that do exist are all of small area. 



Pine Island is situated in the north-eastern corner of the 

 great bend of the lake, the eastern shore of which skirts 

 the foot of the so-called " Sand-bank Tier," a rugged talus- 

 strewn range, about 4 miles in length. The local name 

 has its origin in the sandy shore which bounds this 

 part, and along which the water is remarkably shallow, 

 running out for about half a mile, with a depth of not 

 more than a couple of feet. 



During a recent visit, I was much struck with the singular 

 character of the shore of this island ; and the desirability 

 suggested itself of writing a short descriptive account of the 

 spot for the information of our Fellows, and in the hope 

 that a satisfactory explanation of the causes which have led 

 to the formation which I noticed, may be arrived at from a 

 discussion on it. 



The distance from the head of the lake, where the boat 

 belonging to the '' Improvement Association " of Deloraine 

 is kept, is about four miles, and on the afternoon of my 

 trip, in IMarch last, we sailed down (my son and myself), 

 accompanied by Police Trooper Archer, in about half an 

 hour. 



The long, low outline of the island is visible from the 

 starting-place, and as we neared it the basaltic " tors," 

 which rise from its centre, became conspicuous. It is said 

 to have been formerly covered with timber, the King 

 William Pine having been chiefly in evidence, but the only 

 signs of this that now exist are the gaunt and bleached 

 trunks of one or two " Cider " gums and one pine. At 

 the " Cove," on the eastern shore, there are several large 



