124 
('larke. — Naiural Iicfiious in Aiistralia. 
Suit “Lukes” (Jutsoii, 1914, p, 20) are the most murked pliysio- 
i^Tuphic feature of the region, but this it sliares with tlie Wheat 
Belt and with the IMuiHdiisoii Region to be next described. Defined 
waterecairses are rare, incous])ieuous, and very seldom eontain water. 
The ground water is almost everywhere too salt for use. The 
inaj{)rity of llie poi»ulation oi)tains wjiter from the .Mundaring Reser- 
voir hi tlie l)arliii<>' Range (Jarrah Region), whence between l> and 
4 million gallons are pumped daily. Tlu‘ total length of main pipe 
line is OHO inih's and it suj)j)lies eu route 00 towns and has 490 
agricultural extensions. Away from the j)ij)e-line, water must be 
ebtaimul eitlu'v from natural reservoirs (gnanima and rock-holes and 
intermittent soaks — dutsoii, lt)14, p. 129 and literatma* there cite<l) or 
from artificial reservoirs. 
The rainfall is best estimated at less than 10 inches per annum. 
It is true that several j)laces show an aveiage, calculated from 
records over a number of years, of 10 inches or more, but this is 
[irobably due to local thunderstorms. It seems unlikely that any 
activity re(|uiriiig more' than a 10-inch rainfall can be ])ernianently 
cs1 ablislied. When the forest is removed fo)- mining firewood and 
timb(*r the soil su]>j)orts a more abundant and attractive growth 
ol: the salt-bush and grass on which sheej) and cattle thrive. This 
)'(’giou is, tlu‘refoi-e, destined ultimately to become a sj>arsely settled 
pastoral area, but at ju-esent its mineral production is more im- 
pel taut- From the bt'ginniug of mining activity ii[) to the end of 
1924, tlie Fast (’oolgardii' (loldfichi, i.e., mainly the mines of the 
“(Joldeu Mih',” had ^iroduceil, from nearly 01 million tons of ore, 
191 million fine ounces of gohl, valued at H2;f million ])Ounds ster- 
ling. Although for many years jiroduction has declined for various 
icasoiis — some not connected with the value of the mineral de])osits 
--it will long lamiain an imjiortaiit gohl jiroducer. 
This region, with tlu‘ Wluait Belt region, constitutes the most 
important sandal wood aiaai of the Htate. 
7. M urcliisoii JiCfiioii. In g(‘ology and tojmgraphy this is 
(sseiitially similar to tlu' KalgoorFu' Ri'gion, but the relief is some- 
what more ju'onouiicml, “ biaaika ways, ” for examjile, lieing a far 
commoner feature (for gemuail discussion of breakaways, see Talbot, 
1917, p. 44). Rainfall differs little in amount from that of the 
Kalgooi'lie IR'gion, but we are now jiassing into the regions of 
suinimu- rainfall. In vegedation and water sujijily, moreover, there 
IS mai’kc'd contrast to the Kalgooi'lie Region. Throughout “Tlie 
Murchison,” exci'pt of course right on the margins of salt lakes, 
jxdable water can almost invariably lie olitained at <lepths of less 
than loo feet, and tin' ])redominant plant association is the i\fulga 
(Oardner, 1924-24, Vol. \'1I, ]i. 240), in contrast to the Salmon 
