Of a Country on the Climate, 



205 



Warreneep, Mount Greenock, Mount Macedon, &c. Of other 

 formations — the Carboniferous and the Tertiary^ it may be 

 proper to mention that the former is found to extend over 

 very limited areas^ while the latter is constantly met with^ 

 but rarely of considerable thickness. 



The secondary series is supposed to be wholly wanting, 

 but our knowledge of the geology of the province is insuffi- 

 cient to determine this with accuracy. I beg to ask inspec- 

 tion of section No. 1, which is intended to show the structure 

 of the country, and the general arrangement of the strata. 

 How far it tends to explain the phenomenon of river beds 

 without rivers, and the absence of the numerous springs 

 which are found in countries of a different character, I shall 

 presently proceed to explain. 



General Configuration, — The physical character of the 

 country is low and level- 



The Great Dividing Range which separates the tributaries 

 of the river Murray from the waters flowing southward, is 

 elevated about two thousand feet above the level of the sea. 

 There are hills much higher than the general elevation of the 

 chain — as Mount William, 5,300 feet or more, in the western 

 district, and in the north-eastern part of the country the 

 Australian Alps reach a height of 7,000 feet above the sea, 

 according to the observations of Mr. Tyers and others who 

 have surveyed the district. 



There are a number of spurs at right angles to the Great 

 Range, the culminating points of which are from 2,000 to 

 3,000 feet in height. These minor spurs are flanked by 

 steep narrow ranges, often densely timbered with stringy 

 bark (^Eucalyptus Fabrorum)^ or covered with dense scrub. 



When we examine the vast extent of country lying be- 

 tween the Dividing Range and the river Murray, we notice, 

 as a remarkable feature, the inconsiderable height of the 

 ranges, and the continual recurrence of intervening plains, 

 many of which are twenty and thirty miles in extent. The 

 Wimmera district, towards the west, is very low and flat. 

 Trom the Glenelg northwards there is a succession of sandy 

 plains, covered with Mallee scrub {Eucalyptus dumosa), 

 which alone must exercise a powerful influence on our 

 climate. 



The country south of the' Dividing Range is broken into 

 hills, ranging from 500 to 1,500 feet in height. And, 

 again, there are plains of large areas, differing but slightly 

 from those to the northward. This is the proper place to 

 remark that the country south and east of the Great Range 



