158 



A US TRA LA SI A ILL US TRA TED. 



to Manly. Round "The Spit" the 

 Avaters divide into Long Bay and 

 Middle Harbour proper. The latter, 

 after throwing off one or two inlets, 

 ceases to be navigable except for small 

 boats, as it narrows and shallows be- 

 tween steep, rocky, timber - covered 

 banks. At present Middle Harbour is 

 almost untouched by commerce, and 

 the houses on its overlooking ridges 

 are not many, but it is a favourite 

 cruising-ground and summer camping- 

 place on account of its lake-like beauty 

 the headlands overlapping each other, 

 producing something of the appearance 

 of a Scotch loch. No more tranquil 

 retreat than these solitudes afford could 

 be desired, and that a busy city lies 

 only a few miles off seems impossible. 





i-> o 



< X 



S u 



The south arm of the estuary of Middle Harbour runs westward for some distance, 

 making of Middle Head a broad, bold peninsula. On the point of this, looking straight 

 out to sea, stands the greatest fortification of Sydney. The gun-carriages are placed in 



