April, 1907.] THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 245 



• IN THE VALLEY OF THE UPPER YARRA. 

 By F. G. a. Barnard. 

 (Read before the Field Naturalists' Olub of Victoria, 11th Feb., 1907.) 



Last month (January, 1907) I had the good fortune to form one 

 of a party of tourists who succeeded in reaching the hardly known 

 Yarra Falls, of which we have already had views exhibited before 

 this Club. However, little has yet laeen written about the route, 

 thither, so I propose to give a few notes about that all-important 

 point, for when we made up our minds to drive as far as we could 

 up the Yarra valley we found it very difficult to get reliable 

 information. I trust, therefore, my remarks will prove helpful to 

 others. 



I will commence my story at Warburton, for there the Yarra 

 valley assumes a different character, which is explained by 

 the geology of the district. Travelling from Melbourne, for 

 nearly fifty miles Silurian formation is passed over, but just about 

 Millgrove, the new station between West Warburton and 

 Warburton, a change occurs ; a large area of porphyritic formation 

 comes in on the north, and a smaller area of granite on the south, 

 with the river almost forming the boundary between them. The 

 vegetation on either soil is very rich, and one naturally expects it 

 to continue, but these two areas, after being in close contact for a 

 couple of miles, recede, and Silurian again fills the gap. 



Consequently, after descending the hill towards Sunnydaie, on 

 the other side of Warburton, and getting on to the flat country 

 beyond, one finds oneself back on the uninteresting Silurian, and 

 this continues without a break right up to the main divide. 

 Though the Upper Yarra is usually regarded as commencing at 

 Queen's Bridge here in the city, I think Millgrove a far more 

 natural commencement, for the reasons given. Here the stream, 

 though perhaps 75 miles from its mouth, is little more than 400 

 feet above sea-level, and seems to come through a natural gateway 

 formed by the huge Donnabuang Range, 4,000 feet high, on the 

 northern (Yuonga) side, and the conical hill known as " Little 

 Joe " on the Warburton (southern) side. 



Some descriptions of the surroundings of Warburton have 

 already appeared in the Naturalist as the results of the Club 

 excursions to that district in 1904 and 1905 (Vict. Nat., xxi., 

 136, and xxii., 128), so that I need not give any further details 

 now. 



Several smaller streams are crossed soon after leaving the 

 township, and at about three miles distant Big Pat's Creek is 

 reached. This is a fine stream coming in from the south-east. 

 A timber tram leads up the valley, making for the valley of its 

 tributary, the Mississippi Creek, near the head of which a fine belt 

 of milling timber exists. The creek is fringed on both sides with 



