126 B. G, Thomas: 



Victoria, with temperate climate and rainfall of 30 inches and 

 upwards, but in these areas sheep also are found. 



The influence of the big capital cities in increasing the cattle 

 population (for dairying and fattening purposes) is clearly shown 

 in the comparatively poor country north of Melbourne, and to a 

 lesser extent around Sydney and Brisbane. The irrigation of 

 the drier areas has a like effect, as shown by the relatively dense 

 population in the county of Gunbower, Victoria, where the 

 annual rainfall is under 15 inches. The effect of varying soil 

 fertility and topography is strikingly shown in Queensland, 

 where between Dalby and Gayndah, within a relatively short 

 distance, and under much the same conditions of temperature 

 and rainfall (about the 30-inch line), we pass through a region of 

 maximum concentration to one of very sparse distribution, and 

 again through a maximum concentration area. 



What may be called the inverse distribution of sheep and 

 cattle holds throughout, for it will be seen that in Central 

 Queensland and New South Wales, and in Western Australia, 

 where cattle are relatively sparsely distributed, sheep are 

 relatively dense, and vice versa. 



As regards the possible extension of the present boundaries 

 of cattle distribution, it is seen that the eastern half of the 

 continent is practically totally inhabited, and development is 

 here Hmited to the closer population of already inhabited areas. 

 In the western portion, however, there are vast unoccupied areas, 

 a large proportion of which show promise of in the future carry- 

 ing a considerable number of cattle. Climatically, there seems 

 no reason why the cattle population of Queensland inside the 

 20-inch line of rainfall should not extend across the similar belt 

 through the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The 

 regularity of the rainfall over most of this area is quite as great 

 as in some of the well-populated country of Queensland, with 

 a similar annual total. Artesian and sub-artesian water has 

 helped greatly in the latter region, and there seems every 

 prospect of this being obtainable over much of the country 

 indicated. Then there is the south-western portion of the con- 

 tinent, having a rainfall of over 10 inches, and here of great 

 regularity, to be regarded as the potential carrier of a sparse 

 cattle population, with the possibility of a concentration in the 

 extreme south-west corner where the rainfall is over 30 inches. 

 Here there are now, relative to the rainfall, very few cattle, the 



