CHAPTER VII 



THE COLONY OF VICTORIA, AND THE EASTERN 

 RANGES OF MOUNTAINS 



The mountains which in north-east Victoria are called 

 the "Alps," bear different designations in the westward 

 parts of the range. They are known locally as "The 

 Grampians," " The Pyrenees," etc., etc. These mountains, 

 which are all parts of one continuous range, afford some of 

 the most delightful scenery in Australia. To the north 

 and west it is still, to a great extent, unspoiled by undue 

 thinning out of the timber ; though it is to be regretted 

 that much unnecessary destruction of trees has taken 

 place. It is an old-settled colony, and there is very little 

 ground within its boundary lines that has not been 

 thoroughly explored ; still a fair percentage of its total 

 area is in a state of " unspoiled nature." Every bird or 

 mammal that is worth powder and shot has had its 

 number decimated, and more; yet there remain in this 

 colony of Victoria a greater variety of species than in any 

 other district of equal area ; and the wallaby-shooting of 

 some localities is sufficiently celebrated to draw sportsmen 

 from other parts of the continent, from America, and even 

 from the old country. 



The eastern range of mountains nearly everywhere 

 present that remarkable cliff-like outline which is the 

 characteristic of Australian mountains. The plains are 

 walled in with cliffs that are often much more than a 

 thousand feet high ; and so precipitous that it is impossible 

 to climb them ; indeed it is often possible to drop a stone 

 from the top on to the level ground below. 



Wood is abundant on the mountains, and there is a 



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