VII.— HARBORS, RIVERS, AND INTERNAL COMMUNI- 

 CATION. 



The Colony of Victoria has its sea face entirely on the south 

 shore, and reaches from Cape Howe, in 150° E. long., to 141° 

 E. long.' at its junction with South Australia. From Cape 

 Otway to Cape Howe. Victoria forms the northern shore of 

 Bass's Straits; and from Cape Otway to the west it is entirely 

 exposed to the ocean and an unbroken sea setting on its shores. 

 As none of the rivers are of sufficient size and volume of 

 water to force a passage into the open sea, so as to form an 

 entrance for vessels of size, there are no river harbors ; and the 

 formation of the coast is somewhat deficient in bays or sheltered 

 places. From Cape Howe, along the Ninety-mile Beach, lies a 

 chain of lakes, some of salt and some of fresh water: these 

 lakes are fed from various streams flowing from the Snowy 

 Mountains on the northern boundary of Gipps Land, and 

 receive, at certain periods of the year, a large supply of water, 

 some of which forces its way by narrow and shallow channels 

 through the beach into the sea; these channels exist only during 

 the season of rain or melting snow, and for any useful purpose 

 in communicating with the lakes, and thereby the interior, 

 would require artificial means : if such were successfully 

 applied, a large agricultural and pastoral district might receive 

 the benefit of water transit. The portion of the country around 

 the lakes, and the rivers falling into them, is highly spoken of, 

 both as to its climate and powers of producing all European 

 fruits and cereals. 



Port Albert has a narrow bar entrance, and, although used as 

 the shipping place of the Gipps Land district, is evidently 

 deficient in its capabilities as compared with Welshpool, which 

 is situated in Corner Inlet, an extensive basin, into which flow 

 some small streams, which take their rise in the Hoddle Ranges. 

 Corner Inlet can admit vessels of light draught of water, and 

 is entirely sheltered. Between Corner Inlet and Wilson's 

 Promontory, the most southern point of Victoria, there are 

 two bays, Sealer's Cove, whence much timber is shipped, and 

 Waterloo Bay, wherein the coasting vessels take shelter in bad 

 weather from the westward. 



Western Port is another bay, having in its entrance Phillip 

 Island, with a shallow channel on its eastern side and a deeper 



