44 On the Supply of Water 



midity of the climate, clothed with all but perpetual verdure, 

 even in the summer season, when the low lands or plains are 

 literally scorched up, and not a blade of grass to be seen. 

 These circumstances constitute it, as one of best rain-gathering 

 districts probably in the colony, the aggregate volume of 

 that falling within our water-shed, I doubt not, will ultimately 

 keep the reservoir where I have decided on, after much and 

 diligent search, in the valley of the Wormbete, well supplied, 

 after making all due allowance for evaporation, leakage, 

 absorption, decomposition, or other waste, in which opinion I 

 am happy to say many of the earliest settlers — Hugh Mur- 

 ray, Esq., Thomas Austin, Esq.,R. Bromhead, Esq., Edward 

 Willis, Esq., and Dr. Thompson, &c. &c, who, after some 

 twenty years personal observation, — quite coincide with me. 



On the occasion on which I laid before my commission, my 

 report of this district, and a recommendation of the site for 

 the reservoir, I had the honour of their approval, sufficient to 

 warrant me in taking my 



Second Step — Namely, a feature survey of the valley and 

 its numerous creeks, dying out, or rather taking their rise 

 south, in the high timbered ranges, abutting against the east 

 and west saddle, separating them from the Retreat Creek of 

 the Wormbete forest, and comprising at least ten thousand 

 imperial acres* of gathering ground within the water-shed 

 marginal line, the surface of which I found to be like the gene- 

 ral surface of the colony, hard and impermeable, so much so, 

 that the body of the waters falling on its entire extent quickly 

 drain off, (from its peculiar conformation,) suddenly swelling 

 the numerous creeks and gullies to an enormous size, thus 

 causing rapid but temporary floods after the rain, which, from 

 the formation before alluded to, runs off in four or five days, 

 gorging the Barwon, and causing it to overflow its banks, 

 inundating the surrounding flats, swamps, and lagoons, north 

 of the reservoir, again to find its way into mid-air by evapora- 

 tion. 



Traversing these creeks, and finding that the majority of 

 them, and other minor gullies, were the natural channels of 

 the available rainfall of this favourably circumstanced gather- 

 ing ground, such as I have attempted to describe and repre- 

 sent by my finished map (which I have the honour to exhibit 



* From a subsequent survey this quantity proves to be fifteen thousand 

 acres. 



