184 president's address — section d. 



The journey was over three types of country. They are defined 

 as — 



The Australian Steppes, subdivided into — 



The Lower Steppes, and 



The Higher Steppes, and 



The Desert Country. 



" It is usual to speak of the whole interior of Australia as a desert 

 or Eremian country, but this name as applied to the whole area is very 

 misleading.'" 



We have the true desert, from the George Gill Range to Ayers 

 Rock and Mount Olga. 



Then " there is a vast tract of country comprising the great Lake 

 Eyre basin, stretching from this eastwards and northwards into the 

 interior of New South Wales and Queensland, and up to and beyond 

 the Macdonnell Ranges, across which run such intermittent streams 

 as the Cooper, the Warburton, the Macumba, the Finke, and the Todd, 

 dry for the greater part of the year, but every now and then at varying 

 intervals of time, swollen with heavy floods, which spread out over 

 wide tracts, and for a time transform the whole country into a land 

 covered with a luxuriant growth of vegetation. To this part of the 

 continent the name of the ' Australian Steppes ' may be suitably 

 applied. 



" Starting from Lake Eyre, and travelling northwards towards 

 the centre of the continent, the traveller passes across a tract some 

 400 or 500 miles in width, which may again be divided into two districts, 

 which may be called respectively the Lower Steppes and the Higher 

 Steppes. 



" The Lower Steppes extend over the area occupied by the great 

 Cretaceous formation, with its alternating stony or gibber plains, 

 loamy flats, and low-lying terraced hills, capped with desert sandstone. 

 At Lake E}Te the land is 39ft. below sea level, and gradually rises to 

 a height of 1,000ft. at its northern limit. 



" The Higher Steppes are characterised by high ridges of Ordovician 

 and Pre-Cambrian rocks, which stretch across the centre of the con- 

 tinent from east to west for some 400 miles. The average elevation 

 of these Higher Steppes may be taken as about 2,000ft., and above 

 them the higher peaks of the ridges rise for some 2,500ft. more." 



I have quoted Professor Spencer at length, as it is xexy necessary 

 to realise the topography, or rather the chorography, of the Lower and 

 Higher Steppes and the desert country, in order to form an intelligent 

 idea of the vegetation of Central Australia. We thus take a distinct 

 step in advance of Professor Tate's gross classification of the whole of 

 the northern part of South Australia as Eremian. The photographs 

 are very helpful. 



Chapter II. is devoted to the Lower Steppes (from Oodnadatta 

 to Charlotte Waters and the Finke River). 



In Chapter III. we have the Lower Steppes — from the Finke River 

 to the James Range. 



