Physical Geography and Climate. 



By H C Russell, B.A., C M.G., F.R.S., Government Astronomer. 



Very early history points definitely to the knowledge of a great south 

 land, the " Terra Australis incognita/' and the stories which were told 

 of its gold and other treasures for ages inflamed the minds of the 

 adventurous navigators of those early days. Later the actual Australia 

 seemed to contradict these stories, but colonisation and exploration show 

 that there was a solid basis of fact as to the enormous natural treasures 

 of gold and precious stones, and many invaluable stores of other 

 minerals, which fully justify the dreams of early navigators. Whether 

 the natives ever did barter gold for European or Asiatic products cannot 

 be decided now, but the fact remains that the old myths about Australian 

 natural wealth are fully borne out by actual experience. These earlier 

 references to Australia treated the country as a whole. Our present 

 purpose is to deal only with New South Wales where the first colonists 

 landed. It is only a fraction (one-seventh) of the whole continent. Its 

 eastern boundary is the coastline between latitudes 28° 15' and 37" 30' 

 south, the northern boundary is the 29" parallel south latitude, except a 

 small distance near the coast whore the river Macintyre and the Moun- 

 tains come in and are used. The western boundary is the 141st meridian, 

 and the southern boundary is the river Murray. Its climate is without 

 doubt that of the best part of Australia, and very similar to that of 

 Southern Europe, with extremes that place the hottest point of New 

 South Wales on Sicily, and its coldest town, Kiandra, with an elevation 

 of 4,600 feet, upon Edinburgh. 



General Features. 



New South Wales is divided by its natural features into three distinct 

 areas in which there are essential cliffei'tmces of climate. 



First we have a strip of country 800 miles long bounded on the one 

 side by the ocean, and on the other by the mountain chain, known as 

 the coast districts. This area varies from 30 to 150 miles in width, and 

 in it there are no less than fifteen considerable rivers — a good index of 

 the general abundance of rain on the coast, which ranges from 36 to 76 

 inches. About these rivers there is found an abundance of first-class 

 agricultural soil, a genial climate, with rain and sunshine alternating, and 

 hence a natural forest of luxuriant growth, only a part of which has been 

 brought under the plough. The details of the climate on the coast as to 

 the distribution of temperature and rainfall will be found in the accom- 

 panying charts, and it is only necessary to add that in the summer the 

 prevailing winds which ai'e from east to south are cool and pleasant. 



The numerous rivers, of which we will say more presently, make 

 this coastal area a well-watered country, and greatly facilitate the 

 transport of agricultural products to the Sydney and other markets. 



