Internal Communication. 77 



the east to the meridian of 145° on the west. Within this 

 district the rivers are numerous, rising in the dividing range. 

 The main feeders of the Murray into -which the smaller streams 

 run, are in order from east to west, the Mitta Mitta, the 

 Ovens, and the Goulburn. Of these, the Ovens, so far as 

 Wangaratta (60 miles) and the Goulburn so far as Seymour, 

 (150 miles) might be made available for navigation in winter 

 by craft similar to those at present navigating the Murray; 

 but in summer all of these, save the Goulburn, are very 

 shallow, barely a foot deep on the gravel bars. These are all 

 fed from the northern and western slopes of snowy mountains, 

 and are liable to heavy floods especially in September, October, 

 and November, our spring, when the snows are melting. 



In the north-west region of the colony, the pastoral districts 

 of the Loddon and the Wimmera, we have the Campaspe, with 

 its tributary the Coliban, the Loddon, the Avoca, and the 

 Wimmera, all running northwards towards the Murray, the 

 latter never, and the others seldom, even in winter, reaching it. 

 and though they all leave the dividing range full of water, yet, 

 whether from evaporation or from the porous nature of the soil 

 through which they flow, these rivers seem actually to disappear. 

 To the operation of the former cause they are extremely liable 

 as from the slight fall of the country their current is so sluggish 

 that they become almost stagnant. A large quantity of the 

 winter supply of water is diverted from the river bed and lies 

 in lagoons, some saline, some fresh. 



From these details it will appear that, excepting the Goul- 

 burn and the Yarra, we have few streams which throughout the 

 year deserves the name of river. The former of these might 

 doubtless be rendered navigable by removing the snags. The 

 latter, from the falls at Melbourne, bars higher up, and its 

 generally tortuous course, is not available for internal navigation. 



The Gipps Land rivers might be useful for water carriage, 

 but the want of sea entrances is against their further utility. 



All the other so-called rivers are but watercourses, carrying 

 off the surplus rain of the wet season which does not penetrate 

 the soil. In the dry season, they serve even now as reservoirs 

 of water, for in almost every Australian streambed are found 

 holes all along its course, varying in depth, in which some water 

 is usually to be found throughout the summer. 



The great advantage we may hope for the colony from our 

 rivers is, a steadier and more abundant supply of water in 

 summer by the construction of dams and reservoirs, for which 

 the deep depressions of most of our streams offer great facilities. 



