PHYSIOGRAPHY OF AUSTRALASIA. 



'3'3 



Goulburn, 400 miles long. Owing to the melting of the snow on the Australian Alps, 

 the River is always in flood in the spring, but it seldom overflows its banks. 



Since the Darling depends solely upon rain, it may be asked, how long is it navi- 

 gable in each year? The records for the past ten years show that it is navigable on 

 the average four months in each year, but at times a whole year passes during which 

 it is not navigable. But it must be borne in mind that during these ten years nothing 

 was done to help natural conditions, by conserving water and turning it into the River 

 when it was wanted. Natural facilities exist in abun- 

 dance for such conservation, and as population in- 

 creases, great improvements in the condition of the 

 River in regard to navigation will doubtless be made. 

 From the great coast 

 range on the west 

 side of Australia, 

 which presents such 

 a bold outline of 

 granite to the sea, 

 many fine coast- 

 rivers fall into the 

 Indian Ocean, but 

 towards the interior 

 no stream worthy of 

 the name of a river 

 has yet been found 

 running. Nor is it 

 likely that they will 

 be found, for me- 

 teorological laws tell 

 us that the rain- 

 bearing winds will 

 be drained of their 

 moisture by the 

 mountains, and be 

 dry winds beyond 

 the range, while there 



is no return wind from the interior to make rain, as there is on the mountains of the 

 east coast. Nor is the west coast-range so high as that on the east coast ; it seldom 

 rises above 3,000 feet, and is generally not more than 2,000. On the east, north and 

 west coasts of Australia are many navigable rivers and numerous smaller ones, but all 

 the southern coast for 1,800 miles has not a river flowing into the sea, except one, and 

 that one, the Murray, does not belong to it, but derives its waters from the east coast- 

 range. The rain-fall of the south coast is small (about 20 inches), but not sufficiently 

 so to account for the total absence of rivers, and it would appear that the soil is very 

 porous, and lets the rain down to a lower level, where it is found in quantity, making 



ONE OF THE TELESCOPES IX THE SYDNEY O11SF.KVATORY. 



