120 THE HIGHLANDS OF LAKE ST. CLAIE 



grows as high as the base of the crags at the edge of the 

 plateau. The deep gorge between King William and the 

 lioddon Hills is clothed, for the most part, with beech forest, 

 and here and there I could distinguish isolated pines, 

 probably Artlirotaxis, Seleginoides. This valley of the Deni- 

 son will probably be found to contain valuable beds of 

 timber, which no doubt improve southwards towards the 

 Gordon. The most accessible route by which to reach the 

 valley of the DcDison would probably be from the Iron Hut 

 over the King William plateau, and keeping on the top of 

 the range, which affords easy walking, to descend from the 

 south-west edge into the valley. By adopting this route the 

 lie of the valley, with its spurs and gorges, could be well 

 viewed, and a track chosen before descending from the 

 heights. I speak here under correction, not knowing what 

 the alternative route between the Gordon valley and the 

 Denison, round the south end of King William, is like ; but 

 even supposing the gap between this and the next unnamed 

 range afforded easy access to the Denison, there would be a 

 wide stretch of forest to traverse before the river was 

 reached, and one would have the disadvantage of keeping 

 entirely to the lower level — often a fatal mistake in bush 

 exploration. 



To refer now to the upland of King William, with its curious 

 Alpine vegetation, so different from anything seen in the low- 

 lands of Tasmania, the plateau itself, though a much narrower 

 tract than the great moor of Ben Lomond has, when viewed 

 from the northern peaks, a singularly beautiful aspect. 

 Bold bluffs tower along its eastern edge above the valley and 

 lakes beneath ; and on its surface rocky hills, picturesque 

 hollows, studded with shining pools, and rocky knolls, with 

 here and there a precipitous torr, all succeed one another as 

 the eye looks southwards towards the heights of King 

 William the Second and Third, which close in the view. 

 The vegetation differs slightly from that of Ben Lomond 

 moor, in being mingled here and there with dwarf specimens 

 of the grass palm (R. scoparia). The curious " yellow 

 bush " (Orites acicularis) and the dark-green leaved Richea 

 Gunnii are the largest bushes which one meets with on the 

 moor, but round the little lake we saw several specimens of 

 the HaJcea lissorperma, about the height of a man. In the 

 swampy spots the pretty mountain artichoke {Celmissia longi- 

 folia) flourishes, and affords good stepping ground on the 

 oozy moor. I did not notice the curious tabular moss 

 (Abrotanella fosterioides) in such abundance as on other moun- 

 tain tops. On Ben Lomond it spreads out like a green table, 

 beautifully patched or mapped out, so to S23eak, with pale 

 greenish-white tracts on the dark green ground of the larger 



