20 
To the Eastward of this intruded granite belt, the small streams How in the 
opposite direction, emptying themselves into the large salt lakes or day-pans of 
the interior, which overflow into the rivers occasionally ; but as this very rarely 
occurs, the water evaporates, leaving after each, rain a fresh deposit of salt to add 
to that already there. One of these salt pans, called Austin’s Lake, is situated 
here, but it must seem to everyone a pity they were ever called lakes, as it is so 
misguiding to strangers; but many other physical features are the same. For 
instance, the rivers are flood-water channels, the inlets are rarely connected with 
the sea, the mountains are simply small hills, and the ranges ridges. 
All the interior, as far as known, consists of an elevated sandy table-land 
(resulting from the weathering of the horizontally bedded ferruginous sandstones), 
with large alluvial flats around the salt clay-pans, and hero and there low ridges 
of Metamorphie country, with occasionally, where these rocks are of a harder 
nature, bold range masses, but, with the exception of the information obtained 
from the few explorers who have crossed the Continent, very little is at present 
known about it. 
The Irwin rises about 50 miles from the coast, in the crystalline range of hills 
of which Peterwfingy is the highest. These hills are partially covered on their 
spurs by large deposits of red clay, clay ironstone and ferruginous sandstone, 
through which the* river has made a deep channel exposing the Carboniferous 
series beneath, which here rest, unconformably upon the old crystalline rocks. 
The Carboniferous series is here represented by beds of clay, chiystonc, micaceous 
clay, limestone, sandstone, and shale with gypsum, iron pyrites and coal seams, 
of considerable thickness, as there is a steady dip throughout to the North-East. 
Through these rocks the river has cut a gorge showing cliff sections 200 to 300 
feet in height and. on the top of which the ferruginous sandstones and con¬ 
glomerates are seen to rest unconformably, and, where breaks or faults occur in 
the carboniferous rocks, they descend to within a few feet of the river. Lower 
down the river, where the clay beds make their appearance, the valley opens out 
into a large flat surrounded by broken flat-topped hills and undulatory country 
of Mesozoic age, the surface of which is covered by sand all the wav down to 
the coast, where the coralline and sandy limestones make their appearance as 
coast hills. 
A little to the South of the Irwin River, between Yandenooka and Arino 
Springs, are low ranges of crystalline rocks, in which rich patches of mineral 
country occur; these have not been worked at present, as the expense of cartage 
over the sand plains would consume all the profits. 
The Coast line South of this to the Moore River consists for the most part of 
Tertiary and Recent deposits, chiefly marine, sand-drifts, shell gravels, and marls 
with here and there salt lagoons and swamps separated from the sea by ridges of 
sandstone or limestone, which often reach 300 feet in height. Parallel to the 
shore are a series of flat-topped ranges, rising 000 feet above the sea, composed of 
horizontally bedded sandstone, ferruginous clavstone aud mottled limestone con¬ 
taining fossils of Mesozoic age. Further South, on the Moore River, are found 
sandstones, chalky limestones with flints, and ferruginous sandstones containing 
fossils of Cretaceous age with numerous stalactitic caves and underground 
water-courses. 
Inland are undulating Band plains, rising 800 feet above the sea level of 
coarse silicious sand, clayey sand, clay, limestone, and ferruginous sandstone 
with here and there in the hollows heavy impermeable clay, which, collecting the 
water draining from the overlying sands and sandstones, forms swamps. * 
Eastward of this there is an undulating and gradually ascending plain at 
first mostly sand, with here and there hills often capped with a thin layer of 
ferruginous sandstone, then large clay flats broken by ranges of crystalline rock 
having numerous quartz reefs and often capped with sandstone. Between these 
