318 NEW SOUTH WALES. [CHAP. xix. 



which, rising imperceptibly to the westward, at last attains a height of 

 more than 3,000 feet. From so grand a title as Blue Mountains, and 

 from their absolute altitude, I expected to have seen a bold chain of 

 mountains crossing the country; but instead of this, a sloping plain 

 presents merely an inconsiderable front to the low land near the coast. 

 From this first slope, the view of the extensive woodland to the east 

 was striking, and the surrounding trees grew bold and lofty. But 

 when once on the sandstone platform, the scenery becomes exceedingly 

 monotonous ; each side of the road is bordered by scrubby trees of the 

 never-failing Eucalyptus family; and with the exception of two or three 

 small inns, there are no houses or cultivated land ; the road, moreover, 

 is solitary ; the most frequent object being a bullock-waggon, piled up 

 with bales of wool 



In the middle of the day we baited our horses at a little inn, called 

 the Weatherboard. The country here is elevated 2,800 feet above the* 

 sea. About a mile and a half from this place there is a view exceedingly 

 well worth visiting. Following down a little valley and its tiny rill of 

 water, an immense gulf unexpectedly opens through the trees which 

 border the pathway, at the depth of perhaps 1,500 feet. Walking on a 

 few yards, one stands on the brink of a vast precipice, and below one 

 sees a grand bay or gulf, for I know not what other name to give it, 

 thickly covered with forest. The point of view is situated as if at the 

 head of a bay, the line of cliff diverging on each side, and showing 

 headland behind headland, as on a bold sea-coast. These cliffs are 

 composed of horizontal strata of whitish sandstone ; and are so abso- 

 lutely vertical, that in many places a person standing on the edge and 

 throwing down a stone, can see it strike the trees in the abyss below. 

 So unbroken is the line of cliff, that in order to reach the foot of the 

 waterfall, formed by this little stream, it is said to be necessary to go 

 sixteen miles round. About five miles distant in front, another line of 

 cliff extends, which thus appears completely to encircle the valley ; and 

 hence the name of bay is justified, as applied to this grand amphi- 

 theatrical depression. If we imagine a winding harbour, with its deep 

 water surrounded by bold cliff-like shores, to be laid dry, and a forest 

 to spring up on its sandy bottom, we should then have the appearance 

 and structure here exhibited. This kind of view was to me quite novel, 

 and extremely magnificent. 



In the evening we reached the Blackheath. The sandstone plateau 

 has here attained the height of 3,400 feet ; and is covered, as before, 

 with the same scrubby woods. From the road, there were occasional 

 glimpses into a profound valley, of the same character as the one 

 described ; but from the steepness and depth of its sides, the bottom 

 was scarcely ever to be seen. The Blackheath is a very comfortable 

 inn, kept by an old soldier ; and it reminded me of the small inns in 

 North W'ales. 



January i8/A. Very early in the morning, I walked about three 

 miles to see Govett's Leap ; a view of a similar character with that 

 near the Weatherboard, but perhaps even more stupendous. So early 

 in the day the gulf was filled with a thin blue haze, which, although 



