76 Harbors, Rivers, and 



general character of the district is rolling plains, scantily 

 watered. The direction of the rivers is generally north and 

 south, and they draw their waters from a narrow and rarely 

 lofty mountain range. They are in summer at best little more 

 than chains of ponds, though all in their course afford facilities 

 for storing up surplus winter water by dams. 



The rivers of the district are — the Moorabool, rising near 

 Mount Blackwood, and the Leigh, running parallel to it through 

 Ballaarat. These rivers both join the Barwon, a river which, 

 rising in the high timbered ranges behind Cape Otway, flows 

 E N.E., and, sweeping round byGeelong, enters the sea outside 

 Port Phillip Heads. This river, fed from high timbered 

 ranges, does not fail in summer. In these ranges rises also 

 several smaller as yet imperfectly explored streams, which flow 

 southwards through a heavily timbered country towards Cape 

 Otway. 



The next river of mark that enters the sea is the Hopkins. 

 About ten miles from the sea it receives Mount Emu Creek, 

 which rises in the southern slope of the Pyrenees (the western 

 portion of the dividing range), and in Lake Burrumbeet, and 

 flows across the plains in a south-westerly direction. The 

 Hopkins rises also in the southern slopes of the Pyrenees, about 

 eighty miles from its embouchure, falls into the sea about a mile 

 east of Warrnambool, and is navigable for boats for about five 

 miles up. 



At about 142° 30' the Main Dividing Range breaks off, and 

 two parallel ranges named the Grampians and the Victoria 

 Ranges, run north and south at right angles to it for about 40 

 miles. In the former rises the Glenelg, passes through a gap 

 in the Victoria Range, runs for about 60 miles westward, 

 and then about 60 southwards entering the sea on the boun- 

 dary ; it is not navigable, nor is the discharge of water very 

 great. 



The Wannon is a tributary, taking its rise on the east of the 

 Grampians, which sweeps south along the east face of the 

 Serra Range, and then turns westwards towards the Glenelg. 



Between the Leigh and the Mount Emu Creek is a remark- 

 able volcanic district, full of large lakes and basins. Of these 

 Lake Corangamite (75 miles area) is the largest ; it has no 

 overflow drainage, and lies 346 feet above high water mark in 

 Port Phillip. Indeed, the western plains are, throughout, 

 dotted with lakes of various sizes, some few fresh, most salt. 



Proceeding now to the rivers north of the dividing range, we 

 have first to take the district from the source of the Murray on 



