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arising from the depth of drift material brought down from 

 the edge of the Plateau, which retains much of the accumulated 

 rainfall gathered in the gully-like channels which seam the 

 face of the cliff slope. Here a luxuriance of grass prevails, 

 not only in the watercourses, but along the cliff slopes below 

 the level of the crystalline limestone. Their roots here find 

 moisture, and protection is afforded them from the sun's rays 

 by the rocky debris which encumbers that part of the cliff 

 slope. 



The Bunda Plateau on its western edge is bounded by a belt 

 of mallee and tea tree, which continues along the edge of the 

 escarpment to near "Wilson's Bluff, whilst parallel to the 

 coastline it is situated at about from two to three miles from 

 the edge of the cliffs. At about 20 miles from the escarpment 

 over Eucla the mallee, which appeared among the other trees 

 at a few miles to the east, begins to predominate, and for 

 fifteen miles forms a dense scrub. Tracing it around the coast 

 it soon thins, and on the meridian of Mallabie is about one 

 mile wide, open, and the trees of low stature. To the east of 

 this the mallee disappears, and is not again seen till the margin 

 of the Peelunibie sandhills is reached ; thence it continues in a 

 generally north-east direction, and occupies the surface of the 

 sandy country southward to the coast. However, the extensive 

 sandy region resting on the east side of Pidinga rock-basin is 

 covered with a thick, not dense, scrub of mulga (Acacia sp.). 



Lying inside the 'belt of mallee scrub is an extensive oasis 

 occupying a breadth of from six to ten miles on either side of 

 the telegraph line, which thus nearly traverses its longer 

 diameter. Its dimensions are 110 miles long and its average 

 width eighteen miles, or an area of about 2,000 square miles. 

 Throughout this oasis mulga and sandalwood are the only trees. 

 These occur thinly scattered where the soil is loamy, but are 

 clustered on the travertine surfaces. This open country is 

 well grassed, the grassed parts interspersed with blue bush 

 (Kochia sedifolia), Sccevola spincscens, IPusanus acuminatus, &c, 

 sometimes the bushy plants dominating over wide areas. In- 

 tervening between the mallee scrub and the coast is a sterile 

 belt, with occasional tussocks of harsh grasses, almost leafless 

 Sccevola spinescens, stunted Choretrum glomeratum, now and then 

 with dwarfed Nitraria Schoeberi, and saltbush (Atriplex 

 sp.), but for the most part carpeted with a prostrate 

 3£elaleuca and Eucalyptus, and Eremopliila densifolia. The 

 habit of the two myrtaceous plants is clearly due to the action 

 of the wind, because as they retire from the coast they graduate 

 into low bushes, and gradually acquire their usual stature. At 

 eight to ten miles from the coast, particularly on the eastern 

 side of the Plateau, the effect of the wind on the sandalwood 



