Excursion to the Western Range. 
12l 
Art. IV. Excursion to the Western Range, Tasmania. 
By William PI. Breton, Lieut. R.N. 
No person wlio has seen only one side of the Island of 
Tasmania can form an accurate opinion of the country 
generally; for that portion to the south of Oatlands, 50 
miles from Hobart Town, and 70 from Launceston, is 
very different from that to the north of this village, the 
low lands being closely hemmed in by hills in every di¬ 
rection ; while that on each side of the route from Laun¬ 
ceston, to the distance of 60 miles towards the south, 
may, comparatively speaking, be termed a plain, or val¬ 
ley, varying from 20 to 25 miles in width. To the east¬ 
ward rises the range of Ben Lomond to the height of 
5000 feet; the opposite range being that called the 
Western, which extends 50 or 60 miles; and its height 
is rather over 4000 feet. Both these ranges are at par¬ 
ticular places extremely precipitous, and, where this is 
the case, can only be ascended by clambering over the 
accumulations of debris, 'lliere are, however, places 
where they can be ascended on horseback, though these 
rarely occur on the side facing the great valley. This 
valley undulates considerably, but contains many thou¬ 
sands of acres of very nearly level land ; nor, indeed, is 
there any elevation of consequence except one about 
three miles in extent, called Archer’s Hummocks. Much 
of this tract of country is highly beautiful, and many of 
the views, especially about Mr. James Cox’s at Claren¬ 
don, 17 miles from Launceston, around Evandale, a 
village five or six miles before we reach Clarendon, and 
for miles round Longford, a village on the western side 
of the valley, about 14 or 15 miles from Launceston, are 
particularly fine. There is also a large proportion of 
cultivated land ; and I have no doubt that this part of 
the Colony would be admired in any part of the world. 
