35 
Fraser states that these plains are about seven miles long 
and from one and a half to two miles across. This 
distance would be from their camp to Dugandau, and 
would include Rattray's Plain, which was four and a 
half miles from their camp. This small plain of about 
7(10 acres near Harper's Crossing, was later known for 
years as Fife’s Plain, after James Fife, David Hunter’s 
partner of 1842-4J. 
“It was in 1880 that the settlement of Mt. Alford 
and the mountain, nearby was named after Thog. Alford 
who had taken over Coochin Coochin for the bank, and 
afterwards became part owner of the property with 
Littlejohn.” — Fassifern Centenary Booklet, page 87. 
REPORT ON THE BOTANY OF THE MT. ALFORD 
EXCURSION 
By C. T. WHITE 
The botany of the Mt. Alford area is typical of that 
of .the rest of the Fassifern Valley. The vegetation can 
be roughly classed into five groups : Creek Sides; Box 
(Eucalyptus) Flats; Open Forest Ridges; Sandstone 
Outcrops; Monsoon Forest (a rather dry type of rain 
or mixed forest). 
Creek banks : The principal trees along Teviot 
Brook, which runs through the area, are Red Bottle 
Brush ( Callisteinon viminalis). River Tea Tree ( Mela- 
leuca bracteata), River Oak ( Casuarina cunninyhamiana) 
and Broad-leaved Sally or Maiden’s Wattle (Acacia 
inaidenii) . 
The Box flats carry mainly the Gum-topped or Grey 
Box (Eucalyptus hemiphloia). An associated tree is 
frequently the Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus tereii- 
cornis). 
The open forest ridges carry mostly Eucalypts and 
Wattles; the eucalypts being Spotted Gum (E. maculata). 
Grey Ironbark (E. dec apt a) and Yellow Stringybark (E. 
acmenioides — in a broad sense) ; the W attles — Acacia 
cunninghamii and A. aula cocar pa. 
The sandstone outcrops carry a few shrubs not seen 
elsewhere, notably two species of Kcraudrenia (K. hillii 
and K. kookcriana), also great quantities of Lcptospcr- 
mum microcarp uni. 
