18 ' THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



as the Erinundra tumbles over great granite masses at the foot of 

 Mount Goon Murk. The scene is a very fine one. Right in front 

 the Coast Ranges, nearly 4,000 feet high, block the way to the 

 north; to the right rises Mount Bungywarr, peaked, and crowned 

 to its summit with forest ; to the left we are shut in by lofty 

 white-gums running up the mountain side ; and beneath us the 

 hill runs down steeply to the densely wooded valley. The track 

 descends rapidly, and after an easy day's march of nine miles we 

 camp at the base of Goon Murk, close by a lovely group of 

 Huniea ele^ans, in full bloom, some of them being from 15 to 20 

 feet high (fig. 4). The Erinundra is here formed by the union of two 

 streams. One close to our camp (8) comes down from the west of 

 the mountain, through what, from its nature, has been called the 

 "gorge of foaming waters ;" the other descends on the east side, 

 and the two, joining together, flow south along the deep gorge 

 which they have hollowed out for themselves. Though it is but early 

 in the afternoon, the sunlight has left the valley ; and as evening 

 comes on we can see it, long after we are in deep shade, lighting 

 up the tops of the mountains. It is a perfect spot for a camp — 

 at any rate, from a picturesque point of view — and we wander up 

 the stream which runs down the gorge till further progress is barred 

 by dense vegetation and great granite rocks, over and through 

 narrow clefts between which the water rushes down. 



Friday, iith January. — This is perhaps our most interesting 

 day, and is spent in climbing up the steep coast range. Very 

 regretfully we leave the camp, with its waratahs and Humeas, 

 whilst it is still in shade, and crossing the river, immediately 

 begin the steep ascent of Goon Murk. The hill rises very 

 steeply for 3,100 feet, then the track falls 100 feet, and leads 

 through a fern gully, with a stream flowing away to the eastern 

 branch of the Erinundra. We leave the granite and pass again 

 on to Silurian sandstones, extending to the gully. Up the first 

 part of the ascent the forest is composed of fine white-gums, 

 with blue-gums, stringy and iron barks. The cotton tree is 

 abundant and large; so is the pepper tree and the Persoonia, 

 which is known locally as the "gebung," and, in addition, 

 waratahs of all sizes up to 40 feet abound. Of ferns, the most 

 ■common is Lomaria procera; and amongst flowers those of 

 Cotnespenna ericinuvi and Dipodium punctatumy which have 

 accompanied us everywhere since leaving Orbost, disappear 

 entirely. Not only here, but elsewhere in the trip, the absence 

 of flowers is very disappointing, and we soon learn, to our regret, 

 that we are two months too late for them. 



Reaching the gully, we spend some little time in wandering up 

 it, searching for animals and plants : for the first time we meet 

 with the sassafras, which here assumes a curious growth, its 

 branches hanging down somewhat like those of a spruce, and 



