PHYSIOGRAPHY OF THE SOUTHERN TABLELAND OF N.S.W. 349 



is essentially a plain in one part of such an area, may merge 

 into a series of mature or even youthful valleys in another 

 part of the same area. 



The writer is of opinion that in an extensive area such 

 an erosion surface may be called a peneplain, provided 

 that the unreduced portions of the original tableland are 

 relatively very small compared to that which has been 

 removed. With this wider use of the term remnants of 

 two or more peneplains can, of course, occur in one and 

 the same area. 



I. The Murrumbidgee River.— To any student of physio- 

 graphy who has followed the course of the Murrumbidgee 

 on the map, that course must appear to be strikingly 

 anomalous. This river has its source on the southern side 

 of Peppercorn Hill, in the parish of that name, in the 

 county of Buccleugh. For about 80 miles it flows in a 

 south and south-easterly direction ; a few miles from Oooma 

 it suddenly turns due north and flows in this direction for 

 another 80 miles or more ; it then turns westward and 

 maintains that direction more or less until its junction with 

 the Murray River. The main divide of New South Wales 

 runs approximately north and south, and from this divide 

 numerous consequent streams flow west and east. The 

 westerly flowing portion of the Murrumbidgee River is one 

 of these consequent streams, and as such presents no 

 features of special interest. The anomalous course of the 

 Upper Murrumbidgee and particularly the remarkable bend 

 near Oooma, however, demand explanation. The remarkable 

 bending of the main divide where it forms the watershed 

 between the Upper Murrumbidgee and the Snowy, strongly 

 suggests the piracy of part of the catchment area of this 

 latter stream by the former. Special attention was given 

 to the elucidation of this problem, the results of which 

 confirm the above suggestion. 



