252 THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF AUSTRALIA. 



westerly until the Katherine Eiver is reached. This large stream then 

 flows northwesterly, debouching into the sea as the Daly Eiver. 



The mountain system, if such it can be called, comprises the ranges 

 in which the principal mines are found, no part of which seems to 

 exceed 1,000 feet above sea level. The system is an isolated one, cul- 

 minating in Mount Wells on the north and the country between the 

 Union Mines and the Mary Elver on the south. The Eiver Finniss cuts 

 it off to the north. 



This is the conclusion arrived at by the late Eev. J. E. Tenison- 

 Woods, and it is no doubt a correct one in so far as it applies to that 

 part of the country over which his examination extended, bur, it is 

 believed by those who are alone competent to speak with undoubted 

 authority upon the subject that he did not penetrate farther inland 

 than the disintegrated coastal fringe of the great central plateau, which, 

 according to the Hon. A. C. Gregory, undoubtedly occupies the interior 

 of the northern and northwestern territory. This country was trav- 

 ersed and minutely examined by Mr. Gregory during his expedition in 

 northwestern Australia, and to those who know how keen and careful 

 an observer our veteran explorer is, nothing more conclusive will be 

 required than his clear and simple statement concerning the physical 

 structure of the country, as set forth in the Journals of Australian 

 Exploration. 



To pastoral and agricultural enterprises this Northern Territory offers 

 most tempting inducements; the average rainfall is over 5 feet; the soil 

 in the river valleys is remarkably rich and fertile, and immense plains 

 carpeted with luxuriant grasses and other forms of vegetation await 

 occupation. This description particularly applies to the country drained 

 by the Victoria and Fitzinaurioe rivers and Stuart Creek, representing 

 an area of about 100,000 square miles. Captain Carrington, in his 

 report upon the examination of the rivers in this part of the continent, 

 says that "the agricultural future of this great country can only be 

 limited by the limited faculties of mankind. Nature has apparently 

 done everything possible." 



The western part of the continent is not remarkable for high moun- 

 tain ranges or for rugged peaks, although several elevated and isolated 

 masses occur in some parts of the country, presenting a somewhat 

 striking appearance. The Darling, Eoe, and Blackwood are the prin- 

 cipal ranges in the southwest, the first extending north and south 

 parallel with the coast for a distance of about 300 miles from Yatheroo, 

 in the north, to its most southern limit at Point D'Entrecasteaux. It 

 is from 18 to 20 miles from the coast line, and its culminating point is 

 about 1,500 feet above the sea level. East of and parallel to the Dar- 

 ling lies the Eoe Eange, whose crowning eminence is denoted by Mount 

 William, in the Murray District. The highest peak of the Blackwood 

 Eange is only some 2,000 feet, although its average elevation is higher 

 than that of the other neighboring ranges. The Stirling Eange is the 



