584 



The Little Flam. — At 441 miles from Port Augusta a 

 ledge is met with which is the edge of the Nulla rbor Plain 

 proper. This is 17 miles west of Ooldea, and it forms a 

 "little plain" which is quite distinct from the big plain 

 further west. This small area is of an undulating character 

 and grows a number of trees and small shrubs which appear 

 to frequent the depressions. On the Nullarbor Plain, itself, 

 this bigger growth disappears. It is on this small strip of 

 country that the florulas of the plain and the sandhills meet, 

 but there is very little invasion by the different plants on the 

 neighbouring territory. 



The Plain Proper. — The Nullarbor Plain stretches away 

 north, south, and west from the "ledge" in an unbroken 

 expanse of level, or slightly undulating, country as far as the 

 eye can see. From the "ledge" (441 miles) to Hughes (567 

 miles), which is within 32 miles of the Western Australian 

 border, the country is the same uninteresting plain not relieved 

 by any prominence w^hatever. Slight undulations occur, in 

 places, and are from a quarter to half a mile, or more, across; 

 but the resulting rises and depressions would only be about 

 4 ft. or 5 ft. above or below the surrounding level. The 

 rises, generally, have an outcrop of limestone with weather- 

 worn fragments of the same lying around. The top soil, held 

 together by the plants, is a reddish, friable, sandy loam which 

 extends for at least 12 in. below the surface. In places it is 

 of a clayey nature. In the depressions there is no surface 

 limestone. These shallows (one large one at Hughes is called 

 "The Dry Lake") grow fewer plants than the higher levels, 

 and in them the "Australites," or "Obsidian bombs," are 

 more readily found. The hollows do not hold water long. 

 While we were at Hughes an inch of rain fell in one day, but 

 there was no water in the "lake" next day. 



Several "blowholes" were seen at Hughes. They were 

 about 15 ft. deep and about 3 ft. wide, with limestone ledges 

 forming the sides. The bottom was soon reached by dropping 

 a stone down, and no movement of air was observed going in 

 or coming out. 



2. THE SANDHILLS. 



The sandhills commence at about 324 miles from Port 

 Augusta, where they leave the stony undulating country. Tlie 

 sandhills are small at first but increase in size until some of 

 them are 30 ft. to 40 ft. high and run in ridges for long 

 distances. These ridges trend in almost every direction. At 

 Ooldea they are east and west, and north-east and south-west. 

 At Barton they are about east and west. Tlie sand is fine 

 and chiefly pinkish in colour; at Ooldea Soak, three miles 

 north of the railway station, where the sandhills are very big, 



