BUILDING AND ORNAMENTAL STONES OF N.S.W. 181 



It furnishes a good instance of how an idea originating to 

 serve one special purpose sometimes does duty for that of 

 another, for being originally erected to definitely fix a 

 starting point for all distances in the colony, yet to-day it 

 serves to illustrate the durability of well selected stones, 

 for although exposed in this case for nearly a century, 

 it shows scarcely any signs of weathering. 



That attention was given rather early in the State's 

 existence to stones other than sandstone is proved by the 

 following reference in Mitchell's expeditions into Australia, 

 Vol. ii, p. 318, published in 1838 : 



" Near the Wollondilly, a few miles from Towrang, a quarry of 

 crystalline variegated marble, has been recently wrought to a 

 considerable extent, and marble chimney pieces, tables, etc., now 

 ornament most good houses at Sydney. This marble occurs in 

 blocks over greenstone, and has hitherto been found only in that 

 spot." 



In passing we may say that so far we have not been able 

 to locate this particular spot, nor have we seen any of the 

 specimens made from the material. Since then our lithic 

 building material has gradually become still better known 

 and the industry appears now to be firmly established. 

 Sydney can well be proud of its noble buildings constructed 

 of local material, and to us it appears that the time has 

 arrived when our building and ornamental stones should be 

 architecturally classed and tested for the future reference 

 of those interested in the subject. Few results in this 

 direction appear to have been published, although Professor 

 Warren has tested some specimens we believe, whilst in 

 Professor Liversidge's book, "Minerals of New South 

 Wales," and also in the Mines Department Reports, lists 

 of localities and other data are given. 



In this paper is given the first fairly exhaustive series of 

 tests yet carried out in Australia on building stones, and in 



