4 The Hodgkinson Goldfield, Northern Queensland. 



Descending from the ridge, the level of the table-land is 

 again reached, and this, as I have said, is about 1400 feet 

 above the sea. The slate ranges are crossed quite unneces- 

 sarily. It is merely a spur from the south-west, belonging 

 to the main range or divide, and Rifle Creek, after being 

 joined by Spear Creek, flows round the north end of it to 

 join the Mitchell. By following the course of Rifle Creek, 

 after crossing the divide, the slate range must consequently 

 be entirely avoided. 



The valley of the Mitchell is an open plain, about ten 

 miles across. The soil is poor and somewhat marshy, and 

 the vegetation consists of open forest of Melaleuca leuco- 

 dendron, Eucalyptus platyphylla, and E. hazmastoma and 

 Petalostigma quadriloculare. The grass is luxuriant and 

 abundant. The whole flora does not differ in any very 

 striking manner from the open plains on the east side of 

 divide, except in the absence of strictly littoral species, 

 which the distance from the sea must lead us to expect. In 

 this respect the upper valleys of the Carpentaria waters 

 differ from all others on the western side of the Australian 

 Cordillera which I have visited. Farther south, a most 

 marked difference is seen between the vegetation of the 

 eastern and western slopes of the watershed. 



No section throwing any light on the geology of these 

 plains is obtained near the crossing-place of the Mitchell. 

 The banks are not steep, and they consist of alluvial detritus 

 from the stream and beds of sand. The river itself, a fine 

 broad, shallow stream of clear water, is always running. It 

 is flooded in the rainy season, and is then difficult and 

 dangerous to cross. The ford on the Hodgkinson track is 

 between 300 and 400 miles from its mouth, in a straight 

 line, so the importance of this river can be thus estimated. 

 At the crossing- place it is about sixty yards across, and the 

 running water in the driest seasons about one-third of that 

 width. The East and West Hodgkinson, the Palmer, the 

 Walsh, and many other streams, join the Mitchell in its 

 course. When near the sea, it is a very broad and deep 

 channel, but not much is known of it. Mr. Bartley Fahey, 

 the Harbour-master at Cooktown, explored a good deal of its 

 course, entering by its sea mouth. As well as I remember, 

 he was able to sail up for about sixty miles. The natives 

 were extremely numerous and hostile, which is their 

 character for the whole course of the stream. As might be 

 expected, crocodiles are also very numerous. 



