July, 1915. 
The Queensland Naturalist. 
25 
miles, for at Coolgardie the level is about I.40i) feet, at 
Kalgoorlie over 1.200 feet, whilst at Laverton in the Mt. 
Margaret held over 200 miles X. by E. of Kalgoorlie, the height 
is more than 1.500 feet. It will, therefore, be seen that this 
plain differs from our western plain from Toowoomba to 
Charle\alle. which has a gradual downward slope. The 
relative distances being about the same, it is curious to note 
that the upward dip on the one side is about equal to the 
downward on the other. The plateau is in parts wooded, 
or consists, especially travelling eastward, of what is called 
sand plains. These sand plains are thickly covered with 
shrubs and flowering plants, and during the six weeks I spent 
among them were gav with flo^^■ers of brilliant colours. It 
is only in the shallow depressions called lakes that much sand 
is seen, for they are usually dry and bare, and incrusted with 
salt. However. I was fortunate in seeing one of them tilled 
by a great storm, and the dry bed of a river actually running, 
before I left the district. Another feature of these plains 
is the outcrop of bare, reddish-coloured rock, sometimes 
acres in extent, and rising into low-rounded hills. Many of 
these hills contain deep crevice holes containing water, and 
known as gnamma holes, or, at the sides, the so-called 
“soaks.” There are no considerable elevations in this 
region, the onlv one of any altitude being Mt. Burgess, near 
Coolgardie, of the usual saddle-shape in appearance, as seen 
from that town. 
In the great plateau are also two belts of highly 
auriferous country, viz.. — the Yilgarn and Coolgardie gold- 
fields. The latter is of vast extent, if we include the ad- 
joining areas of East Coolgardie. North East Coolgardie. Broad 
Arrow. North Coolgardie. Mt. Margaret. Dundas, and 
Phillips River. The fine towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder 
Citv being in the centre of the richest area ; Coolgardie on 
the west ; Kanowna and Kurnalpi, east ; Norseman and 
Ravensthorpe. south ; Menzies. Malcolm and Leonora, 
north : and Laverton. north-east of Malcolm ; whilst numerous 
other smaller fields lie within and bevond. The countr\' 
round Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie is barren and desert-like in 
character, though various trees, shrubs and small flowering 
plants are plentiful. Spinifex. the only grass has 
needle-like points, that at once command respect. The 
soil, a reddish or chocolate loam, is very rich, and wherever 
water can be used freelv upon it vegetation thrives remarkably. 
The forests are disappearing rapidly, the demand for firewood 
at the mines being enormous. The vegetation of the western 
side of the plain consists of various eucalvpts as the Salmon 
gum {E. salmonophloia). gimlet wood {E. salubris). York 
gum (E. loxophlceba), wandoo (E. redunca), Morrell (E. lon^i^ 
