SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 



SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 



of oosMilefU extent The higher portion* of the hilli conaut 

 hmriably of neked rock, gwjerally sandstone. The lower dope* are 

 eorefvd with dm** bmh, and the valley* with low shrubs and occa- 

 gio,^! Jll patches of thin wiry gnu*. Some of the plains have u 

 undulating surface, mad then it it found tht the higher part* are quite 

 dtituU of vegetation, whiUt the dope* nd valley* are overgrown 

 with scrub. In other parti the plain* are level, and home of them ore 

 turned with aaUolaoeou* plants. During the rain*, and a abort time 

 afterward*, running water U found at a few place* among the hill*. 

 A little to the south of Mount Hopeless ome good paatoral tract* have 

 lately been discovered and occupied. The northern extremity of this 

 Mlnin t.ii. region ii bounded by a level desert. A salt crust is found 

 at interval* on the surface of the *aud, and a few piece* of what appear 

 to be drift timber are lying about. This desert U about 800 feet above 

 the level of the see. The river Broughton may be considered the 

 Mnilhii' boundary of this barren mountain region. It rise* on the 

 deelivitiee of Mount Bryan, and appears to be of considerable size 

 daring the rainy season. In the dry season its upper course consists 

 of eztenaive reaches of water connected by a strongly-running stream, 

 into which several chains of ponds discharge their water during the 

 tmina. Lower down the Broughton wind* through some broken bills 

 of an open but barren description, and here the water is lost in the 

 sand*; only water-holes ore found at interval*. Still farther down 

 the channel, though very wide and deep, is quite dry. After the rains 

 however the waters come down to Spencer Gulf. 



South of the Broughton a few high hills are found, aa the Kazorback 

 (1900 feet above the sea) and the Lagoon Hill (2260 feet), but they 

 soon sink much lower. The country between these hills and the 

 bora* of Spencer Qulf presents open grassy downs, which are well 

 adapted for sheep, and abundantly watered by ponds. With this part 

 i* connected Yorke Peninsula, which separates Spencer Qulf from the 

 Qulf of St. Vincent Thia peninsula is about 100 miles long, with an 

 average width of 15 miles. Its surface is level, rising gently towards 

 the interior ; the soil is a light sandy loam, and generally wooded in a 

 park-like manner, except towards the eastern shores, where the woods 

 are thick and have underwood. 



The best portion of the colony U the country lying on the east of 

 the Gulf of St. Vincent. The interior of this tract is hilly. The 

 bills run in a aerie* of distinct ridges called ranges, from Mount Bryan 

 range in the north, to Wakefield range, which spreads over the penin- 

 sula, between the Gulf of St Vincent and Encounter Bay. The 

 intervening space is occupied by the Belvidere, Barossa, and Mount 

 Lofty ranges. Mount Lofty, which is about 12 miles . from the city 

 of Adelaide, rises to the height of 1200 feet. The several ranges 

 are mostly well wooded with large timber-trees. Along the shores of 

 the gulf are low sand-downs, on which only bushes grow. Between 

 theee down* and the hills is an undulating country, which contains a 

 great portion of laud capable of cultivation. 



In this part the town of Adelaide, the capital of the colony, is 

 situated. [ADELAIDE.] It U built on the southern border of the 

 Torreos, a river which rises in the hills about 6 miles E. from the 

 town. It can be called a river only in the rainy season, when the 

 banks are full, and it runs with great velocity. In the dry season it 

 cua*i*u of a number of expansions like small lakes, which are very 

 deep and of considerable length, but rarely more than 30 or 40 feet 

 wide. These pools are connected with each other by shallow places, 

 in which the water is hardly a foot wide and an inch deep. At these 

 plsoM scarcely a current is perceptible in the dry season. The Torrens 

 in that season does not reach the sea, but is lost in what is called the 

 Heed-bed, a swampy flat depression overgrown with reeds, which is 

 separated from the shores by the sandy downs. When the river is 

 full the surplus wator finds its way to the sea by running from the 

 Heed-bed to the Creek, which is an inlet branching off from the Gulf 

 of 81 Vincent about 12 miles N.W. from Adelaide. It runs about 

 4 miles eastward and then 12 miles southward, terminating not far 

 from the Reed-bed. Though there is a bank at the entrance of the 

 creek, with only 14 or 15 feet of water over it, vessels of 500 tons 

 burden can tail up to Port Adelaide, which is only four miles from 

 the town, and has a good landing-place and wharfs. As the water in 

 the well* of Adelaide U brackish, that of the Torrens River is used 

 for all purjioae*, and U even transported to Port Adelaide for the con- 

 sumption of the people there, and for the vessels. Besides the Torrens, 

 the riven Wakefield and Gawlcr, and the united streams of the Gilbert 

 and Light, fall itito the Gulf of St Vincent north of Adelaide, as do 

 on the *outh the Onkapariuga, Curricalinga, Yuiikalilla, and several 

 other stream*, most of which are partly dried up during summer. 



The .Murray is the Urgent river in Australia, and its remotest 

 tributaries rise in the Australian Alps, not far from the eastern shores 

 of the continent [AUSTRALIA.] It enters South Australia near 34 

 8. lat, and flows west for about 80 miles, when it suddenly turns 

 to the south, and run* in that direction to the sea, before entering 

 which it expands into a Urge lake called Lake Victoria, or Lake 

 Alexandria*. This navigable river, which within the province has a 

 uniform width of about 300 yards, and a minimum depth of 12 feet, 

 run* in a level bottom about 4 miles wide, inclosed by grounds from 

 20 to 40 feet higher. Between the winding course of the stream and 

 the base of the higher ground*, on both sides, are flat* of greater or 

 ISM extant, overgrown with reedn. The soil is of the richest kind, 



Iwiug fotuiuJ by an accumulation of vegetable matter, and as black 

 as ebony ; but aa the destruction of the reeds requires much labour, 

 little has been done to bring it under cultivation. Lake Victoria is 

 about 30 miles long and 15 miles across in the widest part. It has a 

 depth of from 36 to above 100 feet, and is united to Encounter Bay 

 by three shallow channels, the shortest of which is four miles long. 

 From the southern side of Lake Victoria branches off a narrow 

 channel, which after two miles gradually exjuuids into another lake of 

 smaller dimensions, called Lake Albert. This lake is separated from 

 the sea by a sandy neck of land and the Coorong. The whole course 

 of the Murray, from the junction of the Darling, some miles east of 

 the province lino, to the Goolwa, which connects Lake Victoria with 

 Kucounter Bay, is about 350 miles. In August, September, and 

 October, 1S53, an experimental voyage up the river Murray was 

 accomplished by Captain Cadell, with a steamer, the Lady Augusta, 

 which had been specially constructed with a view to this service. 

 Sir Henry Young, the governor of South Australia, accompanied tho 

 party ; and tho steamer reached Swan Hill, about 800 miles from the 

 mouth of the river. The navigation of the Murray for such a distance 

 into the interior, and the circumstance of its being available for about 

 six mouths in the year, are of great importance to the prosperity of 

 South Australia, Large quantities of wool can now be sent down the 

 river from remote inland districts, and facilities of communication arc 

 afforded between the provinces of New South Wales, Victoria, and 

 South Australia. 



The higher country between the Murray River and the ranges which 

 form the watershed between it and tho Gulf of St. Vincent, is mther 

 hilly near the bend of the river, and overgrown with light woods ; it 

 appears to be adapted for sheep-walks. The whole district between 

 the Gulf of St. Vincent and the river Murray is generally computed 

 to be one-third part barren, another third covered with forest or scrub, 

 and the remaining third available for tillage or pasture. The country 

 between the Murray and the eastern boundary of the province is 

 generally barren. 



At the sea-mouth of the Murray begins a narrow arm of the sea, 

 which extends south-eastward along the shores, and parallel to them 

 for more than 100 miles. It is colled Coorong, and is separated from 

 the open sea by a narrow strip of land covered with sand-downs of 

 moderate elevation. At the back of the northern half of the Coorong 

 is a belt of grassy hills overgrown with casuarina, and divided by 

 plains of some extent with a good soil ; fresh water is found at a 

 depth underground rarely exceeding six feet. At the back of the 

 southern half of the Cooroug is a succession of salt-swamps aiid low 

 shrubby hills. A low range, called the Wambat range, runs for 20 

 miles parallel to the Coorong at a distance of about 3 miles. 



The Coorong terminates near 36 30' S. lat., but beyond it, in tlie 

 same line, are a number of lakes, which are separated from the sea by 

 grassy flats. South of Cape Bernouilli, near 37 S. lat, the country 

 consists of several ranges of wooded hills, generally running parallel 

 to the shores, which are separated from each other by low level 

 grounds, a great portion of which is subject to inundation ; but the 

 soil is excellent, and in many places these flats are dry ami available 

 for pasturage or agriculture. Within a few miles of the Cape is 

 Guichen Bay, a convenient roadstead. In the district adjacent to the 

 bay the gross is said to be unhealthy for sheep and young cattle. 



The south-eastern portion of South Australia is one of the richest 

 in the colony. A line drawn from Rivoli Bay, nearly due cast to the 

 boundary-line, divides it from the desert, which is farther north. 

 Near the sea-shore low narrow ranges of wooded hills alternate with 

 grassy plains and a few swamps. In approaching the higher country 

 plains of considerable extent occur, which are covered with luxuriant 

 forests. They extend to the foot of Burr range, a mountain tract 

 divided into several ridges, which cover a great extent of surface, and 

 are pretty well wooded. The highest point of this range rises to 

 about 1000 feet above the sea. Between this range and the isolated 

 mountains called Mount Gambier and Mount Schank, lies a well- 

 wooded tract with largo timber-trees and on excellent soil. The two 

 lost-mentioned summits are of volcanic origin. Tho soil of this 

 region is of the richest description, being mostly of a black-brown 

 loam, and the vegetation luxuriant. The value of this country for 

 settlers is increased by having a good and safe harbour in Rivoli Bay. 



Kangaroo Island, which lies before the entrance of the Gulf of 

 St. Vincent, is 100 miles long from east to west, and on on average 

 about 20 miles wide, which gives an area of 2000 square miles. It 

 rises gradually from the sea, and does not attain a great elevation, the 

 interior being occupied by extensive plains. Close to the shore, 

 within a quarter to half a mile from the sea, it is covered with a thick 

 forest; in the interior the country is open, and contains numerous 

 ponds. Near the shore are lagoons, which are generally filled with 

 fresh water, but some are salt. On the shore of Nepean Boy is a salt 

 lagoon, on the banks of which large masses of crystallised salt are 

 found. Nearly the whole of the island is available for agriculture or 

 pasturage. In Nepean Bay, on the north-eastern shore, vessels may 

 ride in perfect security during the western gales. On Cape Willoughby, 

 its south-eastern extremity, is a lighthouse called Sturt Light 



Although the greater part of the territory of South Australia is 

 unproductive, there are many good tracts of land. The richest por- 

 tions of the colony are the Mount Gambier district, the Mount Barker 



