188 



Charles Fenner .- 



AO'- 

 30'— 



lower portions with a gradually decreasing rainfall. The third 

 •column shows that three stations — Riddell's Creek, Bolinda Vale 

 and Sunbury — stand at lower levels than their rainfall would 

 suggest, but all three lie in valleys considerably lower than their 

 immediate surroundings. 



^ ■"" ^^ RAINFALL 



i':__ /Average for N 



^lasr rcn ycarsj 

 in inches. 



20— 

 10* 



APPROX. 

 NEARNESS 



to the 

 MAIN DIVIDE. 



2000*- 



^^..^ 



















JOOO- 





* X 



^ ' 





^"'^ 



.--'' 



V'' 



^-. 





SEA 















1 



1 ~1 



""\""'\ 



-LEVEL 





















HEIGHT. 



/a bo veSea\ 



\ level. / 



in feet. 



F'g. 1. — ^Diagram, showing" comparison between the average rainfalls 

 of various places in the area, with their heights above sea-level 

 and distances from the sea. 



The second irregularity shown is that of Melton and Mt. Cotterill, 

 both of which have lower averages than would be expected. This 

 may be due to the fact that the four preceding stations in the 

 diagram — all nearer the coast — have their averages raised by 

 coastal showers, which do not reach as far inland as Melton and 

 Mt. Cotterill ; while the western and north-western rain-bearing 

 winds, which determine the rainfall of the area as a whole, have 

 lost mo>st of their moisture before reaching this belt. 



(b) It may be, also, that these westerly and north-westerly winds, 

 •descending abruptly from the Ballarat plateau (average elevation 

 over 1300 ft.) to the Lower Werribee plains (average elevation under 

 500 ft.), and thus suddenly becoming more compressed, and there- 

 fore warmer, are less ready to part with their remaining burden 



