326 SPORTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES. 



beer, wine, and extra luxuries, and we followed the next 

 day on horseback, a party of four. 



After crossing the handsome granite bridge that spans the 

 Yarra-Yarra at the western entrance of the town of Mel- 9 

 bourne, we passed through a city of tents, very appropriately 

 called " Canvas Town," skirted the shores of the bay and the 

 beautiful village of St. Kilda, from thence to Windsor, and, 

 after traversing about twelve miles of country, all in process 

 of clearing and enclosing from the primeval forest, our route 

 lay straight across an open grassy valley, under swelling hills 

 of the same description. Each of these presented peculiar and 

 different features, but I could not decide which looked most 

 beautiful ; one was open and covered with rich turf; another 

 was woody, indeed that was the general character of the 

 country. Nothing could be seen beyond the woody range. 

 The summit of the high ground was thickly covered with 

 stringy-bark and gum trees of large dimensions, together with 

 Banksice and casuarince. The shrubs, upon the whole, re- 

 minded me of those in the wooded parts of the sand-hills on 

 the shores of Port Philip bay. We travelled over about 

 ten miles of this very fine country, the scenery being com- 

 pletely park-like, and at length came to a little vale in the 

 bosom of a woody range, where the station and cottage of the 

 squatter were situated to whom we were about to pay a visit. 



A fine clear morning gave full effect to the beauty of the 

 country which I now saw to the eastward. The summit of 

 the hills above Melbourne crowned the distance ; and imme- 

 diately beneath us lay in bright perspective the " heads," 

 opposite coast, and magnificent harbour of Port Philip. 



We soon arrived at the hospitable station of Mr. , and 



after an excellent breakfast, in which the various products of 

 an extensive dairy figured to advantage, we started on the 



object of our expedition under the guidance of Mr. , 



who was himself a sportsman. After travelling some miles 



