Physical Features of the Australian Alps. 99 



heights, as at Mount Hotham (6100 feet above sea level) ; 

 opening out into flat expanse of tablelands at lower levels, 

 as Paw Paw and Precipice Plains (5300 feet); descending into 

 low gaps, as Tongio Gap, near Omeo (3000 feet), thus affording 

 an easier access from the northern basins to the sea-boarcl ; 

 and again rising into rugged and serrated mountains, as the 

 Cobberas (6025 feet). The tablelands north of the Divide 

 are Bogong High Plains (6000 feet) and the Omeo Plains 

 (3000 feet); and south of it are the Snowy Plains (about 

 5000 feet), Dargo High Plains (5000 feet), and the Nunin- 

 t yong and Gelantipy tablelands, each over 3000 feet above 

 sea level. The physical features of the higher plateaux are dis- 

 tinctively Alpine — flat expanses of moorland and undulating 

 rises, covered with Alpine flowers and snow grasses; mosses 

 and lichens, at the sources of springs, and groups of gnarled 

 and stunted gum scrub on the lower lying shelves. Although 

 the surface is rocky in parts, the soil, a rich volcanic, is highly 

 productive, and during midsummer (about the beginning of 

 February) these highlands are covered with a most luxuriant 

 verdure, the richness and softness of which is hardly conceiv- 

 able by those who have not seen similar localities. The 

 bright, emerald-tinted carpeting of the snow grasses, with 

 crystal streams (small source runnels) traversing the area, 

 make a most striking contrast to the brown and parched 

 appearance of the lower lands and valleys, literally languish- 

 ing in excessive dryness at this season of the year. The 

 grandeur and sublimity of the surrounding scenery — seas of 

 mountains rising, wave-like, on every side, presenting almost 

 infinite shades of blue and purple colouring, the extreme rarity 

 of the air, and other conditions which lend an additional 

 charm to the landscape — leave an impression on the mind of 

 the beholder not easily effaced. Although these highlands 

 form excellent summer pasturages, upon which stock fatten 

 rapidly, so rich and nutritive is the herbage, yet, owing to 

 severe frosts, snow, and sudden climatic changes, they are for 

 the greater part of the year perfectly inhospitable. Snow 

 frequently falls to a depth of 12 feet in these regions, and, 

 where at all shaded from the sun's direct l^ys, remains 

 throughout the entire summer, forming young glaciers, 

 which, however, never mature, owing to variations in sum- 

 mer temperature, to which even these elevated regions are 

 subject. 



In close proximity to one of these plateaux (Bogong High 

 Plains) the highest peaks in the colony are situated — 



