must be understood that no other district is being decried in point- 

 ing out the advantages of the south-west. Every part of the colony 

 where agricultural areas have been allocated has its recommenda- 

 tions, to which attention will be drawn in reviewing them. 



The mountains and rivers of the south-west are among its chief 

 physical features. The Darling range, commencing at Yatheroo, 

 north of Perth, in the midland district, runs south right through the 

 middle of the south-west for a distance of 300 miles to Point 

 D'Entrecasteaux, near Cape Leeuwin. The range runs parallel to 

 the coast line at a distance of about 18 to 20 miles, and the highest 

 peak in this range is about 1,500 feet. Mount William, in the 

 Murray district, between Bridgetown and Albany, one of the moun- 

 tains of the Roe range, attains an elevation of 3,000 feet above sea 

 level. The Darling and the Roe ranges extend in the same north 

 and south line, but the latter is more to the eastward. Many rivers 

 have their sources in these ranges ; notably the Swan, Helena, 

 Canning, Serpentine, Murray, Brunswick, Collie, Preston, Blackwood, 

 Warren, Margaret, and Vasse rivers, which rise in the Darling range 

 and, running from east to west, empty themselves either into the 

 Southern and Indian oceans, the Harvey estuary, or the Leschenault 

 inlet, between Fremantle and Bunbury. The Tone, Balgarup, 

 Forth and Weld rivers have their sources in the Roe range. All 

 these rivers, together with innumerable watercourses, which are 

 known as brooks, supplied by thousands of springs which have their 

 rise in the enormous catchment area of the ranges, in July and 

 August, when they are at their highest, not infrequently flood some 

 of the lower levels of the flat country through which the streams 

 flow on their way to the sea. In order to obviate the recurrence of 

 these floods the Government has undertaken an extensive scheme of 

 drainage which will be pushed on to completion this year, and will 

 relieve Collie and Harvey settlers of a too bountiful supply of water 

 at a time of the year when it is not required. 



The rainfall of the south-west is, as the records of years prove, 

 consistent and considerable. The rains are not as a rule experienced 

 here earlier in the autumn than in the eastern districts, but they are 

 very much more copious and frequent when they commence, and 

 mi- prolonged generally well into October, and frequently into the 

 beginning of November. The result is that the rainfall registered 

 at the meteorological stations from Fremautle to the Vasse is more 

 than double that of places eastward from York, Xortham, and New- 

 castle. The following figures may be considered as a lair average 

 rainfall at the places mentioned : Fremantle, 30 inches; Jarraluiale, 

 41 inches; Pinjarrah, 38 inches; Bunbury, 36 inches; Busselton, 

 (otherwise known as the Yasse), 37 inches; Bridgetown, 40 inches; 

 Augusta, (near Cape Leen\vin), 31; inches. This large r; infall keeps 

 most of the rivers in the south-west flowing all the year round, 

 while the smaller streams leave a sufficient number of pools in their 



