Western Range , Tasmania. 
129 
impervious. The numerous deep fissures, or water¬ 
courses, partially concealed as they are by the herbage, 
would render riding at any speed highly hazardous: so 
that hunting the wild cattle here had better not be at¬ 
tempted. 
After resting for a while at a stream bearing the clas¬ 
sical name of Tumble-down Creek, we ascended a high 
ridge, passing as a matter of course over blocks of stone 
(trap); and then traversed for a short distance a forest 
blackened by recent fires, on emerging from which we 
came upon another singular plain, or belt of land, without 
trees, but thickly clothed with a variety of small shrubs 
nowhere exceeding a foot in height, and for the most 
part attaining only a few inches. Across this we walked 
the entire length of from two to three miles, the breadth 
in some places being nearly as much. Hemmed in by rocky 
elevations, one of which presented a perfectly bare side, 
or rather precipice, apparently not far short of a mile in 
length, and several hundred feet high, while the others 
were thinly sprinkled with trees, the whole constituted a 
scene of desolation and solitude, of which it would be 
difficult to convey an adequate idea. The stern and for¬ 
bidding character of the scenery was not improved by the 
total absence of animal life. 
At the termination of the plain we found ourselves on 
the brow of the ridge, and obtained an uncommonly fine 
view of a considerable extent of the Great Lake ; and as 
its surface was unruffled and reflected the rays of a bril¬ 
liant sunset, we saw it to the greatest advantage. After a 
rather steep descent, amongst trees, and over very rough 
ground, we came into a better country, and finally 
reached some sand-hills on the eastern shore of the lake, 
and there bivouacked in a hollow sheltered from the 
'wind. The Great Lake is calculated to be from 60 to 70 
miles in circumference, but this conveys no idea either of 
VOL. II. NO. VII. K 
