Country and Climate 7 



These state capitals are all seaport towns, and 

 jrom them have been constructed railways, ex- 

 tending throughout the coastal districts, and in 

 some cases far into the interior. The coastal dis- 

 tricts are largely agricultural, and contain smaller 

 towns which are farming centres. The interior 

 the " back country," as it is sometimes called is 

 given up to grazing. The grazing areas, called 

 "runs" in Australia, vary in size, some of those 

 in the more remote districts equalling the extent 

 of one of the smaller English counties. 



The Australian, it will be seen, dwells either in 

 the large state capital, which acts as the sole trade 

 outlet and inlet to the whole state ; or in the agri- 

 cultural districts immediately behind the coast ; or 

 in the back country, given up to grazing. The 

 Australian of the cities speaks of the rest of his 

 continent as " the bush." The dwellers in the 

 agricultural country speak of the district further 

 inland as the ' ' back country. ' ' Those themselves 

 in the back country have behind them a land, 

 partly unknown, and therefore attractive to the 

 adventurous, which the}' call the ' ' Never- Never 

 Land." 



It has often been declared that the distinctive 

 characteristic of the bush is its monotony. Flat 

 or gently undulating land, dotted with trees 

 nearly all belonging to the same family, and pre- 

 senting a uniform dark green hue to the eye, ex- 

 tends for hundreds of miles. The trees are not 

 so close together as to prevent the grass from 



