74 Harbors, Rivers, and 



and south. The quantity of water brought down by it from a 

 large drainage area both in New South Wales and in Victoria, 

 and from the Snowy Mountains is at some seasons very large, 

 though it is not able to form for itself a permanent opening into 

 the sea through the beach. The lower part of its course has 

 not yet been surveyed, so that it is impossible to estimate its 

 value as a channel for internal communication. 



Midway between Cape Howe and Wilson's Promontory, com- 

 mences a chain of lakes, separated from the sea by a narrow 

 strip of sand, named Lakes Tyers, King, Victoria, and Welling- 

 ton. The first named is small, receives but small streams, and 

 has its sea-mouth usually choked with sand. Lakes King and 

 Victoria, which are salt, save during floods, communicate 

 with one another, and with the sea by a narrow passage at the 

 east end of Lake King, in which, on the 21st December, 1859,* 

 there was only a depth of three feet, and which would probably 

 entirely close before the end of the dry season. Lake King 

 receives the rivers Tambo, Nicholson and Mitchell, the first 

 running from north to south, and the last from north-west to 

 south-east through Gipps Land from the dividing range. The 

 course of the Nicholson is short, between steep banks of cal- 

 careous limestone. 



Lake Wellington, the west end of which is about thirty miles 

 from the east end of Lake King, is fresh, and receives the 

 Rivers Avon and La Trobe. The Avon and its tributary the 

 Perry are short in their course. The La Trobe runs from 

 east to west from spurs of the Dividing Range, interposed 

 between it and the Yarra Yarra, while its tributaries the 

 Thomson and the Macalister, come down from the north-west 

 from the main Dividing Range. These rivers, as will be seen 

 from the tables appended, bring down considerable bodies of 

 water, even at the most unfavorable season. If it were possible 

 to open a permanent channel to the lakes from the sea, they 

 would all be navigable for some miles from the lakes inland. 

 They are well adapted, from their nature and from the climate 

 of the country, to receive the salmonidae, if the attempt to bring 

 them to this country be successful. 



The rivers of the south-western district of Gipps Land, 

 towards Wilson's Promontory, are numerous but small and call 

 for no special notice. 



Proceeding westwards, we come to that part of the colony 

 south of the dividing range, which drains into Port Phillip. 



* All measurements of depths, velocity, &c, refer to this day, the 

 Australian Midsummer Day. 



