Clarke. — Natural Itcgions in U'estcrn Australia. 
123 
portion, although oxeossivcly sandy, is nevertheless stated to be 
suitable both for dairying and market gardening -when Avorked in 
conjunction Avitli the intervening swamps. 
u. Greenough Region. This may ]>e described as a tableland of 
Jurassic sandstone dissected by well-defined watercourses Avhicli have 
in places reduced the tableland to groups of mesas and buttes over- 
looking plain country formed of older rocks. The sandstones pro- 
duce a poor soil, and it is the more fertile areas of exposed Permo- 
Carboniferous and older rocks that are settled. On the seaward 
side of the dissected Jurassic tableland is a rather narroAv fringe 
of loAver-lying ground, Avhich probably has, except for its lighter 
rainfall, the same characteristics and possibilities as the Swan 
Region. Tn places Avhere the Jurassic rocks have been removed, 
ancient “Pre-Cambrians” are exposed, in which, in the Northamj)ton 
district, are notalde occurrences of lead ore. 
The annual rainfall of the Gretoiough Kegion is 1.1-20 inches, 
nearly all of which falls in winter. The region tlierefore comes 
climatically Avitliin the Wheat Belt. On the »Jurassic rocks there is 
good ground-water close to the surface, but on the more fertile older 
rocks the ground-Avater is saline and generally unusable. In this 
portion reliance has to be ])laced on excaA’ated tanks. 
Some fodder plant may yet be found which Avill groAv freely 
in the sandy soil yielded by the Jurassic rocks, but until such a dis- 
covery is made the region must remain almost uninhabited. 
Coal seams are kiioAvn in the Permo-Carboniferous rocks (Camp- 
bell, 1910), but their economic ])ossibilities have yet to be i>roved. 
6. Kalgoorlic Region. This part of the Htatc is composed of 
ancient crystalline rocks, mainly acid, through Avhich are scattered 
lenses of basic rocks Avhich coA’cr about one-fifth of the region and 
carry the chief gold deposits of Western Australia. The to]>ography 
and vegetation ai-e like those of the Wheat Belt, except that in the 
Kalgoorlie Region the ranges of N.W.-trending hills marking lenses 
of basic rock are someAA'hat more ]jrominent and abundant. It is 
marked off from the Nullarbor Region by geologic, and from the 
Wheat Belt by climatic characters, its rainfall l)eiiig less than 10 
inches. 
Considering its climate, the Kalgoorlie Region has been very 
fortunate in having, in the Salmon Gum forest ample supplies of gooil 
mining timber and firoAvood. Without these the difficulty and expense 
of mining development Avould have been so much greater that one is 
almost justified in saying that there could not have been a “Golden 
Mile.'' 
