216 
BARRETT, Rockhampton Outings [ Th j a n mu 
Monday morning saw the departure of Miss Geissmann and 
Messrs. Chisholm and Barrett for Tambourine Mountain, 
Mr. Musgrave and Miss McDonald having gone up to 
Rockhampton on Sunday night. 'fen members made up 
a boat party to North Keppel Island, and had a most 
enjoyable and instructive time in the care of Mr. Newton 
Burton. A start was made from the mouth of Yeppoon 
Creek as soon as there was enough water to enable the 
bar at the mouth of the creek to be crossed. Mrs. Moloney, of 
Cairnside Boarding House, had packed a good hamper, and the 
skipper took the precaution of taking a good supply of water, as 
supplies on the island are precarious. To the surprise of some 
of us, Dr. Chenery took the tiller, and safely piloted us over the 
bar and out to what passes for open sea on this coast. He stuck 
to the post both coming and going, and it is safe to say that the 
little ship never motored a better course. A most enjoyable 
two hours was spent bouncing out against the breeze to the island, 
which is about three miles long by one wide. It has for the 
most part a high rocky shore on the sea face, and a flat sandy 
one on the land side. A piece of flat sparsely timbered land 
extends for about a hundred yards back from the beach, and 
then changes to woody ridges ultimately running to grass-grown 
hill tops running the length of the island, the gullies being filled 
with a species of mallee. 
The southern end of the island is wider than the northern, and 
»iere the beach flat becomes clothed with Melaleuca , and grad¬ 
ually rises, capping a low ridge, and then descends again to the 
southern beach, this section being at one time under cultivatian. 
The party explored, practically the whole of the island, and 
over thirty different species of birds were seen, ten of which 
were new to our Conference list. A small camp of flying foxes 
was disturbed in a mangrove creek near our landing place. What 
they live on is a mystery as there are no bush fruits in the island. 
Botanically the island is interesting, with its mallee eucalypts 
and grassy hill tops; in the gullies the orchid Dendrobimn 
undulatum was growing in profusion in scrub and rock, reaching 
in some places down to tide mark. Vast patches of maidenhair 
( Adiantum) were found in other gullies. As these gullies are 
short, steep and rocky, and quite dry, it is evident that the rainfall 
is both considerable and regular in this spot. Due to the efforts 
of the C. Q. Native Birds Protection Association the island is 
now a sanctuary, and it is to be hoped the bird life will increase 
and multiply thereon. 
The return journey was commenced at 5 p.m., and with the 
help of her sails our craft put us ashore just at dusk, after a 
delightful run across the twelve miles of pseudo-sea. 
Tuesday was go-as-you-please day, and small parties visited 
the many different good spots within easy reach of this centre. 
Entomologists patronised the scrub on the hill, and one party 
