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The Pallinup area of 180,000 acres has been gazetted, but has not 

 yet been thrown open for selection. The Beverley area, which is 

 one of the nine referred to as being available for selection, is 

 described in the references to the Beverley district. Of the others 

 we avail ourselves of the particulars furnished in The Descriptive 

 Xotes Receding Agricultural Areas in Western Australia, issued 

 by the Lands department. This work says : " It might be thought 

 by some that the enterprising Western Australian Land company had 

 exhausted all the best of the land along their line by their extensive 

 selections ; but this is far from the case, as the land was selected by 

 them along the line, subject to the condition that the Government 

 should divide the frontage with the company." . . . " Of the 

 areas thrown open 40,937 .acres have been taken up (to January, 

 1897), principally at Katanning, by ninety-six settlers, a satisfactory 

 number, when it is remembered that only one of these areas has 

 been open just three years, while some of them have not yet been 

 open twelve months. Lying, as they do, along the route of a splen- 

 did line of railway, between the capital of the colony and Albany, 

 the port of call for the great ocean liners, with land admirably 

 adapted for the growth of cereals, and in many places of fruit and 

 vegetables, these areas possess many inducements to settlement." 



The Moorumbine area was gazetted open for selection in July, 

 1893. It possesses the advantage of having the railway running 

 directly through the middle of it, and adjoins the Brookton siding 

 at Seabrook townsite, which by rail is about 223 miles from Albany, 

 20 miles from Beverley, and 118 miles from Perth. The land is 

 much the same as that in the Beverley area that is to say, it is 

 mostly of a light loam, very suitable for the production of fruit 

 and cereals. The timber on this country consists mainly of York 

 gum and jam, and it is estimated that the average cost of clearing 

 would be from 3 to 4. per acre. The land is well adapted for 

 mixed farming, and it is recommended that for this purpose a 

 square mile of country should be acquired. At the beginning of 

 1897 rive selectors had taken up 1,754 acres of the Moorumbine 

 area. 



The Narrogin area was opened for selection in January, 1893. 

 It contains 25,000 acres, of which 12,782 acres are surveyed into 

 42 blocks. There were, when the latest published returns were 

 made up, 13 settlers on this area, who held in the aggregate 6666 

 acres. This is also a good corn growing area, and it directly adjoins 

 the railway, and is distant only two miles from the Narrogin railway 

 Station, which is about 64 miles from Beverley, 179 miles from Albany, 

 and 162 miles from Perth. 



The Wickepin area was open for selection in March, 1893. It 

 contains 97,000 acres, of which 37,195 are surveyed and cut up into 

 222 blocks. There are nine settlers upon this area, which is 

 about ten miles from the railway, and they hold between them 5539 

 acres. This is regarded as an especially good area, much of the. 



