NATURE VERSUS THE AUSTRALIAN. 
although they tower 25,000 feet above the sea. If the atmospheric 
currents contain no moisture, it matters nothing if the mountains deflect 
them high up into cooler regions—no rainfall can be condensed. 
In our temperate areas it would doubtless be an advantage if the 
highlands were disposed at some considerable distance from the sea in 
place of being elevated along the actual margin of the continent from 
Cooktown to the Victorian Grampians. We should then have many 
“Varra” and “Hawkesbury” rivers—perhaps rivalling the Murray 
in size. ‘They would be fed by numerous tributaries and bordered by 
fertile plains. Under present conditions our largest rivers resemble the 
Nile, their lower courses being situated in much more arid country 
than the headwaters. Thus the Diamantina, Barcoo, and Paroo rarely 
‘reach their outlets. The Warrego, Darling, and Lachlan often cease 
5) 
_ running, while the Murray occasionally dries up as it traverses the low- 
land belt, which receives only 10 inches or so of rain per annum. 
‘However, all this country is favoured by its geological structure. 
Given a region with insufficient rainfall, it is obviously an enormous 
asset if a subterranean supply can be tapped. In the eastern half of 
Australia Nature has compensated for her disposition of the highlands 
by placing a series of permeable sediments (at various depths to 5,000 
feet below the surface), in which a considerable proportion of the rain is 
collected. The origin of the artesian water is still a vexed one, but the 
balance of opinion certainly favours present rainfall, and possibly 
Pleistocene ground-water rather than ‘‘ plutonic” sources. There are 
also several other small artesian basins, but they do not compare in 
importance with the Queensland bas’n. (See Fig. B.) 
Warping in fairly recent geological time has built up the main 
divide in Queensland and New South Wales. The upturned edges of 
the mesozoic sediments are supposed to catch the rain in the better 
watered areas, and carry it slowly to the north, west, and south-west. 
Some of it bubbles up naturally in the mound springs near Lake Eyre 
on its western boundary. In Queensland alone there are 2,000 artesian 
bores, and there are also many in north-west New South Wales and in 
the north-east corner of South Australia. 
Unfortunately, there is little hope of this water amounting to moré 
than is required for stock. It is doubtful if it can ever be used for 
agriculture. It is folly to state (as in a recent imposing publication), 
“Ag 22,000 square miles of Algeria have been reclaimed by artesian 
water, there is no part of Australia in which cultivation may not become 
ultimately possible.” The truth is (unless we get settlers of the Indian ~ 
ryot class) that there is little hope of any cultivation of importance 
‘based on this supply. On the other hand, the prosperity of the pas- 
toralists in Western Queensland is Jargely due to this form’ of Nature’s 
bounty. Unfortunately, the ‘supply is certainly diminishing. 
Some readers may be surprised that so little mention is made of 
irrigation. While this may lead to the settlement of many thousands: 
in favoured localities, it can make no practical difference to the general 
character of a continental surface. There are about 1,000,000 square 
miles in Australia receiving less than 10 inches per annum. In Victoria 
there are about 600 square miles of irrigated lands; in New South 
Wales about 400, and quite negligible areas elsewhere. Hence, with 
463 
vy 
