OCEANIA. 



The Dividing Range, which opposite to Sydney 

 is called the Blue Mountains, and farther north, 

 the Liverpool Mountains, in the southern part of 

 the colony, attains a height, in Mount Kosciusko 

 of the Australian Alps, of 7308 feet. The numer- 

 ous streams that rise on the west side of the 

 watershed within the colony, all converge and ! 

 empty their waters into the sea through one 

 channel within the colony of South Australia. 

 The southern and main branch of this great 

 ri ver-system is the Murray, which forms the 

 boundary between New South Wales and Vic- 

 toria ; on entering South Australia, it turns 

 southward, and enters Lake Victoria, which com- 

 municates with the sea by shallow channels, im- 

 passable even to boats. The Murray is navigable 

 lor steamers for a great part of the year. The 

 other great trunks of the system are the Murrum- 

 bidgee, also navigable ; the Lachlan, at times 

 reduced to a string of ponds ; and the Darling. 

 The Macquarie, which passes through the Bathurst 

 district, is a large tributary of the Darling, but 

 reaches it only in the rainy seasons. The rivers 

 on the eastern side descend with great rapidity, 

 and in oblique tortuous courses, their channels 

 often forming deep ravines. Many of them are 

 navigable in their lower course for considerable 

 vessels. The principal are the Richmond, Clar- 

 ence, Macleay, Manning, Hunter, Hawkesbury, 

 and Shoalhaven. The Hunter River, about 60 

 miles north of Sydney, opens up one of the most 

 fertile and delightful districts in the country. 



Climate. The seasons are the opposite of those 

 of Britain. The average temperature of summer 

 is 72 ; of winter, 55. There are occasional frosts 

 at Sydney, and snow in the interior. The hot 

 winds that sometimes come from the deserts 

 raise the thermometer to 120, and scorch vegeta- 

 tion. The annual fall of rain is about 50 inches. 

 Rain sometimes descends in continuous torrents, 

 and causes the rivers to rise to an extraordinary 

 height. Sometimes the rains almost fail for two 

 or three years in succession. 



In 1788, the whole population of New South 

 Wales was 1030 ; in 1828, 36,598 14,156 of these 

 being male, and 15 13 female convicts. (In 1840, 

 transportation to New South Wales ceased.) In 

 1871, the total population, exclusive of aborigines, 

 was 503,981 ; of which number Sydney, including 

 the suburbs, contained 134,755. In 1871, the im- 

 ports amounted to .9,609,508, and the exports to 

 "11,245,032. The principal export is wool, of 

 which the quantity exported in 1871 was 65,503,306 

 Ibs. valued at 4,740,632. In 1872, there were 

 3495 runs in New South Wales; 5,615,054 sheep; 

 2,271,923 horned cattle; 233,220 horses; and 

 146,091 pigs. Land then under cultivation, 

 297,575 acres; under wheat, 154,030 acres; 4152 

 acres under vines ; and under grass for hay, 

 31,903 acres. The other principal crops were, 

 barley, oats, maize, potatoes, sugar-cane (acreage, 

 4393), and tobacco. Free selection in land pre- 

 vails here, as in Victoria (under which it will be 

 explained). New South Wales is the chief coal- 

 producing colony of Australasia. In 1871, the 

 three mines which were worked produced 898,784 

 tons of coal, value .316,340. The colony has 

 three main gold-fields, known as the Northern 

 Fields, the Southern Fields, and the Western 

 Fields. Three-fourths of the whole supply comes 

 from the Western Fields, of which Bathurst is 



the capital. The total gold-yield in 1871 was 

 296,928 oz. value, "1,143,781. The copper mines 

 in 1 87 1 produced 667 tons of copper, value .44, 1 23. 

 Oil and tin mines are also profitably worked. In 

 1871, the revenue was 2,218,699 of which 

 "1,720,722 was derived from taxation, and 

 497,977 from the lease and sale of crown- 

 lands. The debt of the colony, contracted chiefly 

 for railways and public works, amounted to 

 "10,614,330. There are in New South Wales four 

 railway lines the Southern, Northern, Western, 

 and the Richmond Line, which in 1871 conveyed 

 1,067,686 passengers, the receipts for the year 

 being "307,142. In the same year, there was an 

 electric telegraph system, which comprised 5579 

 miles of wire, with 89 stations. The zigzag rail- 

 way across the Blue Mountains impresses tra- 

 vellers as remarkable. There are in New South 

 Wales three main roads. 



Sydney, the capital, is situated (35 52' south 

 lat. 151 10' east long.) on the shores of the mag- 

 nificent harbour of Port Jackson, which is one of 

 the finest in the world, and the scenery of which 

 is exquisite. The city is well paved, lighted with 

 gas, and supplied with water by a tunnelled aque- 

 duct, and has many fine buildings. The harbour 

 is possessed of excellent defences. The mean 

 summer temperature is 74 ; winter, 55 ; mean, 

 67. The other principal towns are Newcastle, 

 Maitland, Paramatta, Bathurst, and Goulburn ; 

 the first four having a population of from 5000 to 

 7500. Newcastle stands in importance next to 

 Sydney, and is celebrated as the centre of the 

 coal-mines. Paramatta, on the river Paramatta, 

 14 miles from Sydney, is famed for its orange- 

 groves. Bathurst, 200 miles north-west from 

 Sydney, is in the centre of the richest pastures, 

 and is the capital of the best gold-diggings in 

 New South Wales. Maitland is the chief town 

 in the Hunter River District, the richest agri- 

 cultural portion of the colony, subject, however, 

 to frequent inundations from the river. The 

 Riverine District, on the Murray, is a vast pastoral 

 country belonging to New South Wales, but owing 

 to the facility for transit afforded by the Victorian 

 railways, close to it, its traffic is more with Mel- 

 bourne than Sydney. 



Since 1855, t* 16 government has been vested in 

 a governor, a legislative council, and legislative 

 assembly, both elective. With the exception of a 

 few points involving imperial rights, the chief 

 Australian colonies have now the entire manage- 

 ment of their own affairs. Sydney has a good 

 university, inaugurated in 1852. There are several 

 high schools, maintained by the fees of the 

 scholars, and a number of primary schools through- 

 out the country supported by government. 



The kangaroo, the opossum, the iguana, and a 

 kind of bear are the most notable beasts of the 

 country, and of Australia as a whole. Snakes are 

 common. The emu, the cockatoo, the parakeet, 

 the magpie, and the laughing jackass are the 

 principal birds. 



Victoria. 



Victoria, the smallest of the Australian colonies 

 in point of extent, but the most important in 

 wealth, population, and progress, is situated on 

 the south-east of the island, and is separated from 

 New South Wales by the river Murray on the 

 north and north-east ; on the west, from South 



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