THE 



Vol. VII.— No. 11. MARCH, 1891. No. 87 - S^ 



REPORT OF A VISIT TO THE YARRA FALLS. 



Arrangements, had been made for a party of members of the 

 Club to go to the Grampians, but as it appeared to be impracti- 

 cable to carry out this idea, it was finally decided that the party 

 should make an attempt to reach the Yarra Falls, and should 

 collect in the district lying round about the Wood's Point road 

 between the latter place and Marysville. The Falls have only 

 rarely been visited hitherto, owing to their inaccessibility, and 

 our party is much indebted to the courtesy of Mr. Burslem 

 Gregory and Professor Kernot for very valuable information and 

 advice with regard to the route, and not least for an accurate map 

 of the district, without which it would have been impossible to 

 exactly locate the Falls in the short time at our disposal. 



There are two ways of getting to the Falls from the Melbourne 

 side. One is to go up the Yarra valley as far as Reefton, after 

 which a blazed track must be followed for about 30 miles across 

 the hills bounding the south of the valley ; the other is to proceed 

 vid Marysville, along the Wood's Point road striking south from 

 the latter along the Tanjil track for some twelve miles, and then 

 turning westwards till the valley of the Yarra is reached close to 

 the source of the river. Acting on the advice of Mr. Gregory and 

 Professor Kernot, we determined to follow the latter plan. 



Our party numbered six, viz. : — Messrs. Frost (leader), Ash- 

 worth, Best, Lyell, Searle, and Spencer, with Fred. Kirby in 

 charge of stores and horses, of which we had two. We thus 

 included in our number botanical and reptilian, insect, bird, and 

 general collectors, and were fully prepared for hard work and 

 good finds, if only the weather should prove favourable. We 

 may say at once that, even if special arrangements for our dis- 

 comfort had been made, it could scarcely have been worse during 

 the greater portion of the time, and that, owing to this, collecting 

 was well-nigh impossible in just the part of the district in which 

 we hoped for most. Here also we must mention our indebted- 

 ness to our assistant, Fred. Kirby, who spared himself no trouble 

 — often under very trying circumstances — to make the trip a 

 success, and whose assistance any future party of this Club will 

 be fortunate in securing. We had sent our luggage on by road 

 the day before we left Melbourne intending to catch it up at 

 Marysville, and thence to take the dray on as far as we could 

 before having recourse to packing. 



