Distribution of Wheat, Sheep, and Cattle in Australia. 123 



famous sheep country of the Western District of Victoria. The 

 sheep-carrying country, however, extends much further inland 

 and northwards than does the wheat belt. The area of maximum 

 concentration commences in New South Wales, somewhat above 

 the 65 deg. F. isotherm, and runs south-west through that State 

 and Victoria on either side of the 20-inch Hne of annual rainfall. 

 Such conditions of rainfall and temperature below 65 deg. F. 

 are, given suitable soil, evidently the optimum conditions for 

 sheep in Australia. From this region of maximum concentration 

 there is a wide belt of decreasing sheep concentration extending 

 inland beyond Oodnadatta, and including the South Australian 

 sheep country. The most noticeable breaks in this passage 

 from the maximum to the minimum concentration are: (i) the 

 low concentration areas of the Victorian and South Australian 

 Mallee, where grazing to any extent is only possible after the 

 land has been cleared and cultivated ; and (2) the area of higher 

 concentration, where the rainfall isohyets run northwards of the 

 Mt. Lofty Ranges. It is worthy of note that along the moister 

 eastern side of the continent there are no appreciable numbers 

 of sheep close to the coast Hne; not, in fact, until the belt of 

 maximum cattle concentration is passed. The distribution of 

 sheep is apparently limited here by the high rainfall, practically 

 no sheep being found beyond the 40-inch line of rainfall. The 

 liability to such troubles as foot-rot, liver-fluke, and other para- 

 sitic diseases is evidently one of the factors making the keeping 

 of sheep in such districts less profitable than cattle raising. 



Appreciable numbers of sheep are found as far north as Clon- 

 ■curry and beyond in Queensland, and around Derby in Western 

 Australia, both being about latitude 18 deg. S. ; while, however, 

 in Queensland the sheep do not extend appreciably beyond the 

 75 deg. F. isotherm, in Western Australia, the isotherms dipping 

 «outh, they appear considerably above the 80 deg. F. isotherm. 

 The temperature range of sheep is therefore considerable, as in 

 the south-eastern corner of the continent they are found in 

 country having a mean annual temperature below 55 deg. F. 



In Queensland the greatest concentration of sheep is about 

 Longreach, where, it is to be noted, there is a relatively sparse 

 distribution of cattle. Over the rest of the State, inside the high 

 rainfall coastal belt, and south of the 75 deg. F. isotherm, the 

 distribution is fairly uniform and comparatively dense. Western 

 Australia has a small percentage of her total area as sheep- 



