9 
Katanning is a new township, about half way between Beverley and Albany, 
on the Great Southern Railway. It has made great strides, owing to the energy 
of its principal merchant, and now bids fair to become one of the most important 
inland towns. 
Newcastle is a small agricultural town, on the Avon River, about 50 miles 
East of Perth, with which it is connected by the Eastern Railway, road, and 
telegraph. The district is called Toodyay, and lias some of the finest patches of 
land in the colony, being admirably suited to the growth of fruit and grapes. 
Northern is another small town on the Avon, about 18 miles South of New¬ 
castle. It is also connected with Perth by rail (the Eastern Railway), road, and 
telegraph. Like the last mentioned district, the bind is highly suitable for 
agriculture. This is the starting point of the Yilgarn Railway line, which is now 
under construction. 
Northampton is situated in the heart of the copper and lead mining district, 
about 30 miles north of Geraldton, with which it is connected by the Great North¬ 
ern Railway. It was once a flourishing town, but owing to the fall in the value of 
lead and copper, the mines have mostly stopped work, and it is now almost deserted. 
Perth, the capital of the Colony, is situated on the banks of the Swan River, 
about 12 miles in a North-Easterly direction from the port of Fremantle. 
Pinjarrah is a small town about 54 miles South of Perth, on the River 
Murray. The South-Western Railway from Perth to Bun bury touches here. 
Noeboume may be considered as the capital of the North-West, and will 
probably be so when a form of local Government is introduced. There are some 
very large sheep stations in this district; also the Pi Ibarra and Nullagine goldfields. 
Southern Cross is the principal town on the Yilgarn goldfield, and is connected 
with York by road and telegraph line, and a railway is now under construction 
from Nortliam. It is the official centre of the field. 
Wyndham is at the head of Cambridge Gulf, and is the port for the Kimber¬ 
ley Goldfield, and for the shipment of cattle. 
York is at present the principal town in the Eastern Districts. It is on the 
Avon River, between Nortliam and Beverley, on the Eastern Railway, and about 
b() miles by road from Perth. The telegraph line starts from here to the Yilgarn 
goldfield, also the new road. 
Physical Geoorapiiy. 
Western Australia is bounded on three sides by water, the Northern and 
Western coasts being washed by the Indian Ocean, and the Southern by the 
Southern Ocean. 
Coast Line .—The coast line, which is about 3,500 miles in length, has long 
stretches little broken by bays, gulfs, or creeks, and so is very short for the size of 
the country. The coast is rising rapidly, which accounts for the low alluvial 
sandy plains occurring between the sea and the ranges. These plains vary from a 
lew hundred yards to twenty miles in width, and are interspersed with numerous 
estuaries, lakes, and swamps. 
Tides .—There is a great variation in the rise and fall of the tides along the 
coast of this colony. On the South and South-West coast, as far North as Sharks 
Bay, there is no tide worth mentioning, but directly Cape North-West is passed, 
the rise and fall is considerable, being 18ft. at Cossack, 36ft. 6in. at Roebuck Bay, 
46ft. King’s Sound, and 20ft. at Cambridge Gulf. 
Bays, G'idfs , and Inlets . The coast is sadly deficient in good harbours; the 
only ones deserving mention are King George’s Sound, Cockburn Sound, Cham¬ 
pion Bay, Sharks Bay, King Sound, and Cambridge Gulf; the remainder being of 
no use, as they are exposed to prevalent winds and currents, and are too shallow, 
have bars at their mouths, or the outlying dangers are too great. 
