A USTRALASIA ILL USTRA TED. 



As an instance of the changes which railways bring about, it may be mentioned 

 that some years ago one of the wool-growers of the Murray sent his "clip" to Sydney, 

 with directions to the teamsters to return as speedily as possible with stores. After the 

 drays had set out the wool-grower left for England, which he reached safely, and had 

 actually returned to Albury in time to meet his drays with the Sydney supplies it had 

 taken half a year to do what is now commonly accomplished in less than a day. 



River-traffic at this part of the Murray is now but of very slight importance. The 

 trip down to the point of debouchure in Lake Alexandrina, eighteen hundred miles distant, 

 is tedious though interesting. But it is beginning to be seen that the great value of the 

 River lies in its supply of water for irrigating purposes. In years to come, when the efforts 

 of the Water Conservation Commissioners now industriously employed in gauging the 

 great stores of wealth which are wastefully poured into the Pacific Ocean have taken 

 effect, the water will be distributed over the soil, and the banks of the Murray, as well 

 as much of the back country, will yield immense quantities of cereals and wine. Aus- 

 tralia will then take a share in supplying food to coun- 

 tries less favoured by Nature, and the occupiers of its 

 soil will learn how to combat with adverse seasons. 

 Victoria has made great progress in this direction. 



The description 

 which has been given 

 of the towns of the 

 colony, and the rural 

 districts of which they 

 are centres, will have 

 shown plainly that up 

 to the present time the 

 inland districts have 

 been only very par- 

 tially developed. The 

 metropolis is dispro- 

 portionately large as 

 compared with the 

 population of the in- 

 terior, and even of the 

 rural districts the coast- 

 line has been much 

 more thickly settled 

 than the country west 

 of the main range. 

 This is incidental to 



the development of the colony. Its basis as a commercial community lay in the 

 production of wool. The pioneer squatters overspread the country and turned the natural 

 grasses to good account. Wealth was thus created with great rapidity, and in a quantity 

 surprisingly large compared with the amount of labour and capital employed. Perhaps 



f 



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CHANGING TRAINS AT ALBURY. 



