BY G. H. HALLIGAN. 635 



represented on the one hand by the waters of a large river trying 

 to find a way to the ocean on the natural slope of the country, 

 and on the other by the sand moved across the mouth by the 

 littoral currents accelerated by the prevailing north-easterly 

 winds, is evident by the many channels, and anabranches and 

 swamps into which the river is divided between the south-western 

 end of Woodford Island and. the sea. The present entrance is 

 forced as far to the south as possible until the rocky headland of 

 Yamba is reached, and here the old struggle is still going on, and 

 will for all time. Many thousands of pounds have been spent in 

 improving the channel of the river as far up as Grafton, but the 

 sand still pours in from the northern beach in thousands of tons, 

 forming a dangerous bar at the entrance, and a troublesome 

 inner crossing. Some day a northern breakwater will be built, 

 and all the trouble stopped, but it must be carried out sufficiently 

 far to form the characteristic Zeta curve from North Head to its 

 eastern end. 



The next headland of importance is Laggers Point, and the 

 current impinging upon it is deflected to the north, and has 

 scooped out sufficient land to form Trial Bay. The original 

 entrance to the Macleay River was forced about five miles to the 

 north by this eddy current until a rocky obstruction was met 

 with, and here the struggle between the drifting sand and the 

 ebbing tide was continued. The sand had the best of the battle 

 all the time, and it was only when the flood water came down in 

 force and swept everything before it that a temporary channel of 

 navigable depth was opened up. 



In 1895 a heavier flood than usual opened a new course for 

 itself, or rather it burst out in one of its old channels about one 

 mile north of Half-Tide Rocks. Advantage w,as taken of the 

 opening thus effected to make a new outlet at the spot, and break- 

 waters itre now being built with the object of rendering the work 

 permanent. If these walls are continued out far enough to form 

 the characteristic Zeta curve with the headlands north and south 

 of them, the looked-for results will be obtained, but obviously 

 not otherwise. The form of the beach between Smoky Cape and 



