38 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST, 



roar of the falling waters in the distance. The noise of these 

 falls can be heard at a distance of 12 miles. The volume 

 of water, therefore, must be something enormous, seeing that, 

 as Mr. Sayer states, the annual rainfall in this locality is 

 probably one of the heaviest in the world. 



After another hour had been ^spent in climbing through the 

 lawyer (calamus, palm) and stinging trees {Laporiea), we came 

 abreast of the falls. Creeping cautiously on our hands and 

 knees, and looking over the precipice, we beheld the grandest 

 cataract I, at least, had ever seen, excepting Niagara. For 

 fully half a mile occur successions of rapids, until the Big Falls 

 are reached. Then the waters are divided by a huge wedge- 

 shaped rock, and meeting again, are hurled into the gulf below, 

 seething and boiling, and throwing spray hundreds of feet into 

 the air. As viewed from the Cairns-Herberton Railway track, 

 the left channel has three falls, the first being about 15 feet, 

 the second 50 feet; then meeting, as I have stated, the whole 

 mass is precipitated like a solid wall over the enormous preci- 

 pice into the abyss below, a distance of 500 feet. Flanked as 

 they are by walls of perpendicular rock nearly 1 000 feet from 

 the bottom of the gorge, the deafening roar of waters, the 

 curious water-worn cavities, together with a small cascade 

 pouring from the scrub at right angles to the main falls, a 

 distance of 200 feet, form a wild, weird scene not easily 

 forgotten. We slept that night on the rocks within 50 yards of 

 the Big Falls, the spray keeping us pretty moist. Next 

 morning, after an early breakfast, we took off our boots, and, 

 descending to the bottom of the gorge, filled our bags with 

 plants from the rocks. We stayed a couple of hours only, as 

 we had to get to our camp that night, our provisions being all 

 expended. On our return journey we took the survey track, 

 hoping to shorten our journey, but lost a lot of time 

 endeavouring to keep it, as it was overgrown in many places 

 with the lawyer, vine, and stinging tree. We made very little 

 progress, and at five o'clock we found ourselves in a dense 

 jungle. We had followed an old " trial line," and it had 

 " panned out." It being now sunset, we, hungry, wet, and 

 weary, lay down supperless to rest. To add to our misfortunes, 

 the rain fell heavily and steadily all night. Next morning, our 

 efforts to find the track proving futile, we took to the scrub, and 

 after a great deal of climbing and scrambling, during which our 

 clothes were torn to shreds, we made a settler's " humpy," and 

 were very glad of the hospitality of its owner (Mr. O'Connor), 

 and, having been without food for 36 hours, we did 

 ample justice to the repast placed before us. We then made for 

 our camp. Our troubles were soon forgotten, and we both 

 agreed that what we had gone through was more than repaid 

 by the sight of the wonderful Barron Falls. 



