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takes its name, are included in the fauna which are protected 

 is not stated. One of the reserves is at the Buffalo Mount, in 

 the Australian Alps, near which I spent a holiday some years 

 ago, making my headquarters at Bright. I saw by one of the 

 papers, I think last year, that the Government was going to 

 build a hospice on the summit of the Buffalo, to cost £10,000. I 

 stayed at the hospice of Mount St. Bernard, another high eleva- 

 tion in the same district. 



I learn from answers to my questions that in none of these 

 parks are any games provided, but such are proposed in the 

 case of the Buffalo Reserve. There are no foreign trees planted 

 (unlike the case with our own park), there are no enclosures for 

 native animals, and none of them are placed beyond the control 

 of Parliament. In the Buffalo reserve the fauna and flora 

 are protected, in three others the Fauna, while the remainder — 

 two of them coastal — are chiefly tourists' resorts and no special 

 protection is given to the fauna and flora. 



In addition to these seven parks, there are seven other 

 reserves of smaller area, which are described as "akin to National 

 Parks." Most of them, such as Fern Tree Gully, Werribee Gorge, 

 and Mount Franklin, are in the nature of public parks or re- 

 creation grounds, while one (Buchan Caves) serves the additional 

 purpose of protecting the natural features of the locality, and 

 one (Mount Towrong) is reserved for climatic purposes — whether 

 as a sanatorium or for meteorological reasons is not stated, I 

 think probably the former. The total area of these smaller re- 

 serves is 2,919 acres, making, with those just mentioned, a grand 

 total of 169,219 acres. I think you will admit that Victoria 

 is well off in the provision made there for National Parks. 



It may be added that there are also about 30 sanctuaries 

 for game proclaimed under Game Acts, in which it is unlawful 

 for any person to kill or destroy native game. This must be 

 very satisfactory to those persons interested in the protection of 

 our native birds, provided always that the Act is strictly observed. 



National Parks of New South Wales. 



Of all the National Parks in Australia, probably that of Port 

 Hacking, near Sydney, is the best known, both from its extent 

 and its beauty. Whereas our own park at Belair contains 



slightly under 2,000 acres that at Port Hacking is 36,300 acres 

 in extent. 



It is not so generally known that another park of even 

 greater dimensions is to be seen about the same distance north 

 from Sydney as Port Hacking is south from that metropolis. 

 I shall first give a few particulars about each of those splendid 

 parks and then quote a report on them and other reserves 

 kindly supplied by the tourist officer at Sydney. 



PORT HACKING. 



This is said to be one of the most magnificent recreation 

 grounds in the whole world. In point of size it is said to be 

 only second to the great Yellowstone Park in the United States, 

 but I note that Kuring-gai Chase is a somewhat larger area. For 

 beauty of forest and coastal scenery it is unsurpassed, and it 

 enjoys in addition the all important advantage of accessibility, 

 since the vast area of 36,300 acres lies only 16 miles south from 

 Sydney. It has a large stretch of ocean beach on its east, 



