BY E. O. MARKS, B.A., B.E. 95 



Between these bars the river is a wide, sandy bed 

 over which the water flows in a quiet and shallow stream 

 from hole to hole. The fall of the river in the 95 miles, 

 between Macrossan Bridge and the top of the falls, amounts 

 to some 400* feet, an average of 4 feet per mile, which is 

 greater than would be expected of a stream of great 

 antiquity. On the other hand the wide sandy bed and 

 quiet stream, like the wide valley, give an impression of 

 old age almost as strong as does a view from one of the 

 few hills in the peneplain which the stream traverses. 



The Leichhardt Range through which the Burdekin 

 has cut its gorge consists, from the gorge northwards to 

 near Ravenswood, mainly of various, more or less altered 

 felsitic lavas, tuffs and conglomerates. The country on 

 the east side of the range has a general level some hundreds 

 of feet below that of the country on the western side, as 

 would be expected when consideration is taken of the fact 

 that the water of the streams on the western side has so 

 much greater a distance to travel before reaching the sea 

 than has water on the eastern fall. The eastern streams 

 have, in some instances, eaten far back into the range as 

 for example, near Ravenswood; where the head of the Eight- 

 mile Creek has eaten back to the pe'neplain on the western 

 side of the range. The divide here is not marked by any 

 prominent ridge as viewed from the western side, but 

 further to the east the mountains attain a much greater 

 elevation than the divide. South of this the range does 

 form the divide, and is considerably higher than the country 

 either to east or west. 



As one travels southwards down the Burdekin from 

 near Ravenswood, the Canton Range on the left, approach- 

 ing within a mile of the river, is an offshoot of the main 

 Leichhardt Range and is composed of felsites. Below 

 Ravenswood station similar rocks constitute the Twins, 

 and form a narrow belt which crosses the river and runs 

 parallel to it on its western side for a few miles forming a 



*The levels of the country about the falls were taken with a single 

 aneroid, and must be considered as approximate only. The weather 

 conditions being normal and readings in the same place agreeing closely 

 on different days, while the readings at Ravenswood, before and after 

 an interval of three weeks were also in accord, the MTiter is satisfied that 

 the levels noted may be relied on as being reasonably close to the correct 

 altitude. 



