V' •
! í 1
A T L A S OF AUSTRALIA—1886.
COAST LINE—rroiii Point Danger iu the uortli to Cape Howe in
tlio south, inoludiug the principal indentfttious. New South Wales
possesses a coast liuo of about 800 miles. The coast and surface are
therefore iu the proportiou, approximately to each other, of 1 and 888;
in Europe the proportion is ono mile of sea-const to every 190 square
miles of area. With the escuption of Russia, no parfof Europe is
moro than 400 miles from the sea; iu New South Wales a considerable
portion of the Ulterior is over 600 miles from the seaboard.
Hold rocky precipitoas cliffs alternate with low sandy stretches of
sea-beach throughout the entire length of the coast. The latter freqaeiitly
appear piled up into dimes, the back of which is fringed with
low scrub. There are no indentations iu the land comparable with
the Gulf of Cai-pentaritt or Cambridge Gulf on the north coast, though
numerous smaller bays and inlets, affordiug good shelter for vessels,
occur in varioua parts of the seaboard. It is also noticeable that but
few rocks or reefs of a dangerous character exist ¡ this, coupled with
the fact that only at long intervals do riolent storms take place, would
acconnt in a gi-eat measure for the immunity fi-oiu disaster which
attends shipping on the coast,
In the vicinity of Port -Jackson, Broken Bay, and Jervis Bay,
rocky formations are conspicuous, while both north and south of the
Shoalhaven River aud north from Sydney, sand and shell beaches are
From Point Danger iu the north the seaboard has a general trend
iu a south-south-westerly direction, though in several parts, for a
short distance, a south-east coni-se is assumed.
Projeotlng Points.—The foUowing are the more conspicuous capes
and headlands :—
FoiiU Danger—In kiititde 28° 10 'south. This name was bestowed
by Captain Cook on account of the shoals in the locality, into
the vicinity of which he was brought back by the current after
sailing beyond them.
Cape Bijron—Named after Admiral Byron. It is the most eastern
point in Australia.
Smohj Gape—^Near Trial Bay. So named by Captain Cook from the
sinoky appearance of the lanil caused by the fires of the aborigines,
Knrogoru Pt>Í7i¿—South of the Maelesy Hiver.
Poini Plomcr—Sovth from the Hastings Eiver.
Tachiiig Poini—South of Port Maequarie.
Indian Sfad—So named by Captain Cook in consequence of thii
aboi-iginals which were noticed upon it when passing.
Croicdy ifeittZ—Situated north of tlie Manning Rirei-.
Hallidaij's Point—South from Farquhar Inlet.
Near Wallis Lake.
Elizabeth PoÍTii—Near the southern extremity of Wallis Lake.
S«9arZoa/PH¿ni—Near the Seal Rocks.
Treachcry Send—A short distance south from Sngarloaf Point.
Point Stephen»—Oa. the south side of the port of that name.
Red iTeai?—North of the entrance to Lake Maequarie.
Pier Eeiid—North of Tuggerah Beach Lakes.
Buwjane Norah—^A short distance to the north of the entrance to the
Tuggerah Beach Lakes.
£om6i—North of Broken Bay.
Barrenpiey—South of Broken Bay.
Capn Banks—On the north side of Botany Bay. Named after Sir J.
Banks, who formed ono of Captain Cook's fiiat expedition in 1770.
Cape Solander—On the south side of the entmnce to Botany. Named
after Dr. Solander, the botanist, in Cook's first voyage of dis-
Foint South of Lake Illawarra. Named after Bass, the discoverer
of the strait which bears his name, on the south coast of
Australia.
BM Sead—'Ihe first rocky mass north of the Shoalhaven River.
Point Pei'pejuliculaT—On the north side of the entrance to Jei-vis Bay.
The cliffs on this headland present a very precipitous front to the
waves of the Pacific. No doubt from this fact arose the namo.
Cape George—The extreme point of the peninsula formed by Jervis
Bay and Sussex Haven. The name was bestowed by Captain
Cook as it was passed by him on St. George's day.
north of Bat
Í " a point of laud which rose in r
that circumstance he gave it thi
ntaiu of the same name. Boti
Point Upright—A. short di
described by Captain Cook
"perpendicular cliff;" frot
name it bears.
Cape Droinedary—Near the mi
features woi-e named by Captain Cook.
Bwifftt Emd—North of the Bega River.
Talhra Fend—A short distance south of the Bega River.
Moicwarry Puwi—South of ISvofold Bay.
Green Cape or Btindooro—On the north side of Disaster Bay.
Cape ZToife—At the southern extremity of New South Wales.
Indentations.—The principal inlets are:—
Shoal Bay—Into which the Clarence river empties itself.
Trial South of the entrance to the Macleay River.
Port Maequarie—This indeutation receives the waters of the Hastings
Eiver.
fl'arrini/io«./«iui-WhichreoeivespartofthewatersoftheManningBiver.
Port Stepheii»—into which flow the Kai'unh and the surplus waters
of the Myall Lakes, It is a broad expanse of water, and, being
easy to enter, forms an excellent shelter for shipping.
Port B"«n.i£v—'L'he inlet into which flow the waters of the river
bearing the same name.
Brohen Buy—An esteusi'
outlin I t r . •s the
3t of water, mth a very irregular
ers of the Hawkesbury River,
itural capabilities as a barboui-, has
•orld. It was discovered
n Botany Bay, and lying a short distance
1 extensive
Porl /ucton—Which, for its i
been ranked among ilie best i
aud named by Captain Cook.
Botany Bay—A short distance south from Port Jackson. Captain
Cook, its discoverer, referring to it in the account of his voyages,
says:—" The great quantity of plants which Mr. Banks and Dr.
" Solander collected in this place induced me to give it the name
" of Botany Bay."
Port ffncfciup—Smaller
south from it.
Jervis Say—South, of the Shoalhaven
water, nearly smTounded by land.
SIWW.V Eai-on—An inlet a little to the south of Jervis Bay.
Bate,naii's Bni/—This indentation receives the waters of the Clyde River.
Tiiroes Luke—A broad sheet of water of irregular outline, into which
flow the waters o£ the river Tnross.
Mogorehu—The estuary of the Boga River, Open only after floods.
Tviofold Bay—lain which flows the Towamba River. It is a large
sheet of water and receives its name from the figure of its outline.
Disaster Bay—South of Green Cape.
Lagoons,—At intervals along the coast are also found )ai-ge sheets
of water, partly marine and partly estuarine, to which the terms lake
and lagoon have been applied. As they possess none of tie characteristics
of a true lake, the latter is, undoubtedly, their proper title.
They are situated close to the seaboard, and have generally narrow
entrances, which, under the action of the waves, tides, and currents,
ft-eqiiently become silted up. Some of ihem are entered by vessels of
very light draught, but on account of the sand-bars it is an undertaking
attended with some difBculty and risk. Many of these land-locked sheets
receive the waters of several small streams; after heavy i-ains they
become full, and the pent-up waters, breaking through the sandy bamers,
whicharoat the same time the lowest and weakest points in their environment,
escape to the sea leaving portions of the beds of the lagoons dry,
and other pans shallow. They abound in fish, aud as the country
surrounding many of them is among the most picturesque in the colony,
they foim favourite places of resort for purposes of sport, during
holiday-times.
The following are the best known:—
Lake I?tne«—South of Port Maequarie.
Queen's Lake, WateonTayMaLahe—These are two bi-aiiches of the same
sheet of water; tbey have a common entrance from Camden Haven.
Wallis Lake—Ne&v Cape Bawke.
Myall Near Sngarioaf Poin
Stephens by the Myall River.
Lake Maequarie—This lagoon is o
coast line occur numerous bays aud i
distance south from Newcastle.
Tuggerah Beach L<ileea—A short distance
Lake Ilhwarra—In the district of the i
Point Bass.
St. George's Basin—South-west from Jervis Bay.
Cudmirra irJt«—South of Jervis Bay.
Cunjurong Lake—A small lagoon north fi-om Ulladulla.
Merimhula Lake—A short distance north from Twofold Bay.
Islands.—There are no islands of any importance on the coast of
New South Wales, The few that exist are, for the most part, nothing
more than bare rocks, almost destitute of vegetation. Norfolk
Island and Lord Howe's Island cannot, of course, be regarded as connected
geographically with New South Wales.
The foUomng are the most promiuent:—
Solitary Mauds—These are simply a cluster or group of small rooky
islands. They are situated a short distance to the north of the
mouth of the Bellingen River.
Bronghton Islund«—A little north fi-om Port Stephens.
Five lelnndD—A short distance south from the Port of AVollongong.
Monlayue Muud or Barm,gnla—k little south from the mouth of the
Tuross River.
This lake
Dsiderable extent, and in its
inlets. It is situated a short
nth from Lake Maequarie,
lue name to the north of
N E W SOUTH WALES,
PHYSICAL FEATURES.—In regarding the physical aspect of New
SoutJi Wales as a whole, it will be seen that it is divided naturally
into thi-ee parts, in each of which thei'e is an appreciable difference in
respect of olimute, and other surroundings. These divisions are, the
Coast District, Tablelands, and Great Plains.
The Cordillera, which, rising in Queensland in the north, ruus south
near its eastern border, and thence into the colony of Victoria, is the
feature which gives prominence to this arrangement of Nature. In
some parts it is found supjiorting the middle or tableland division, and
in others partly riding and partly supporting.
Coa8t DiBlPiot.—The Coast District is, comparatively speaking, a
narrow strip of country, lying between the Pacific Ocean on the east
and the Tablelands. It is undulating in character, and varies in width
from about 20 to 70 miles, Tho large basin of the Hunter River
gives it an extent near the middle which exceeds considerably that
found to obtain m any other part. Tbe undulations, which are
characteristic of it more or less throughout its entire length, are
gentle in some parts, with rounded and well-grassed slopes; in othera
they assvime the form of low barren ridges, rooky and precipitous,
affording shelter to the Native Dog, Kangaroo, and other denizens of
the Australian bush.
In this division, on account of its proximity to the ocean, the air is
more humid, aud generally speaking, there is a greater rainfaD.
Tablelands.—The Tablelands, which doubtless owe their existence to
the same Vulcanic forces that in the ages of the past gave to the gi'eat
mountain chains their elevation, form one of the most prominent
features in the physical geography of New South Wales, They are
two iu numbei-, and lie immediately west of the Coast District. The
dividing lino is marked in many places by steep cliffs and inaccessible
gorges, over which the head watei-s of the eastern rivers form falls,
and disappear in the thickly wooded ravines, to emerge farther domi
their courses to the sea.
The Northern Tableland commences so far south as the sources of
the Manning River, and the upper part of the valley of the Hunter,
and extends north into Queensland, where it attains its highest point.
I t possesses a width which varies between 80 and 100 miles, and
has an average elevation of about 2,500 feet above the sea-level,
reaching in some parts an altitude of over 3,000 feet.
The Southern Tableland borders the south side of the valley of the
Hunter Rivei-, aud its chief tributaiy the Goulburn, and, stretching
towards the south, extends into the adjoining colony of Victoria,
where it reaches its culminating point. Its average elevation is
i-ather less than that of the Northern Tableland, being about 2,200 feet.
Regarded as a whole, the tablelands occupy an elongated area, broken
near the middle by tho valley of the Hunter, with their length
parallel to the Coast District. These two plateaux are in many
• respects similar, and endence a rather striking uniformity of typo.
Both present a precipitous aspect towards the Pacific Ocean, and
slope gradually towards their western edges. They are inclined
towards each other; that is, the apex of each is situated in the
extremity farthest from the point of approach. The dividing line
between this elevated region and the great plains U not so clearly
defined as is the case on the east side; so gradual is tho fall, that it
is with some difficulty, iu many places, that it can be said where the
tablelands end, and tho plains begin. The surface of this elevated
territory is not unifoimly level. Iu some portions it is ti-aversed by
low i-anges of hills, in othere it stretches out into extensive upland
plains. These level tract-s, known as downs or plains, receive
different names. In the Northern Tableland are the Darling Downs,
Barney Do^vns, Byrou and Beardy Plains, In the Southern Tableland
are found the Bathnrst, Goulburn, Tass, and Manaro Plains.
T'he series of ranges, which fonns the watershed between the eastern
and western rivers, and to which the name Great Dividing Range has,
on this account, been applied, is very closely associated with the tablelands.
In some parts of its course, it is found forming a sierra on the
surface, while in others, it unites with the tablelands in presenting a
precipitous front above the more gentle undulations of the coast district.
In the case of the Blue Mountains, it is seen iu bold characters.
Great Plains.—West of the plateau region, and extending in a westward
direction to tho border of South Australia, is a vast level tract
with but tew elevatious t-o break the monotony. Here and thore, at
distant intervals over its surface, occur low ranges, chiefly of granite
I their base; thes >where attain usiderablc
plenish their
some parts,
and in the sit
west and south-west through those plains
iu the absence of periodical snows to reb
a continuous stream, they frequently, in
g, aud exhibit merely a chain of reaches,
ourses, a series of waterlioles. The thirsty
is doubtless, to a large extent, responsible for
this failure iu many portions of the western liver system. Aconsidorable
amount is certainly due to the extanaivo surface presented to the sun's
rays. It has, however, been tolerably clearly demonstnited, tliat
evapoi-ation does not account for all. Given the widest effects that
can be attributed to the solar heat, there i» a resitlmim of fact that
cannot be connected with any other known cause than tbe absorbing
qualities of a dry thirsty soil. Dnriug the highei' levels of their
waters, when the rainfall, tor a series of years, lias been in excess of
tho general average, or immediately after floods, the jiriricipiil of the
western rivers ai'e navigable tor vessels of light draught for considerable
portions of their courses. At such times their waters present
scones of activity. Steamers ply up and do^-n, carrying supjilies to
to the different stations, and returning with loads of wool aud other
produce for export.
When, ho\»evor, drought sots its iron hand on the land, all this
is changed; the rivers dwindle down to streiims, and the steumere are
laid up to await the return of a navigable depth of water. While
dry weather continues there is a tempurary stapiation in the trade of
the interior. Several schemes have been suggested to avert this condition,
but nono has yet been put into practical effect. 'J'he rapid extension
of the railway system to various points in tho interior will tend
to minimise the calamity caused by a series of dry seasons. Doubtless,
modem science may at no distant dat
;e suggest a means iu connectio
with the river system itself
ime the effects of drought, by a
extensive system of consei-vation.
Reference to a map of New South Wales will show, from the
direction of tlie rivers on the plains, that thore is a general fall to the
west and south-west. This slope is so very gradual, liowever, that it
is not uncommon, during floods, for a river, from some local cause, to
reverse it« current, and run back towards its source. On part of
the coui-se of the Peel, the fall is little over half a foot per mile,
while, for a distance of over 850 miles above Wentworth, the Darling
has only an average fall of about three inches per mile. Evidence of
the slightness of slope Is also seen in the tendency of the waters of tho
western rivei-s to accumulate in lakes and marshes; this is especially
noticeable in the case of tho Maequarie, the vast marshes of which acted
as a bar to early exploration. There is no doubt, also, that in this fact
we see ono of the conditions favourable to the formation of the anabranches
characteristic of the Murray aud Upper Darling. There is
considerable variety in the soil of the western plains. Where it is the
result of the decomposition of trap, it is of a rich and fertile character,
and is easily brought into a state of cultivation. Sand and clay soils
are also found; these possess veiy much less productive power.
In some parts of the vast plains, especially in the large and
undefined tract, known as Riverina, wild grasses, and small shrubs,
chiefly of a saline character, suitable for cattle and sheep, grow
luxuriantly. In the less tavoared pai-ts west of the Darling, various
grasses and shrubs are abundant, but, on the whole, they are scarcer
and less nourishing than on the plains of the south and east, where
the rainfall is greater, and streams more numerous. In many places
this vegetable gi'owth attains so great a height that even cattle are
hid from view iu its midst.
In several parts of the interior distinctive names have been applied
to these level ti-aats. The following are the best known:—
Liverpool Pinuii—These are situated on the banks of the Namoi River
tributaries.
The Old Man Plain—South of the Murrumbidgee, between tbe towns
of Hay aud Deniliquin.
Barabool Plains—On the Lower Namoi.
Baromte Plains—I^Se&r Coonamble on the Castlereagh River.
Rivonna—This name is of a very general character, aud embraces the
vast level tract which stretches north from the Murray, across
the Murrumbidgee and LacHan Rivera. Its northern limits are
undefined. Between the Lachlan and the Dai-ling Rivers, the
natural characteristic which suggested tho title ceases to exist.
It is fair, therefore, to conclude that the area to which the name
is properly applicable should bo limited on the north by the scope
of the fertilising influence of tbe Lachlan.
Mountains.—Simplicity is a prominent feature of the mountain
system of New South \Valos. On the ground of extent, it present-s no
special claim to our attention ; iu point of elevation, it lacks the stupendous
grandeur of the Himalayas of the Old World, or tbe Andes or
Bocl-y Mountains of the New. Viewed, however, in connection with
the whole continent, it will be seen that a large proportion of the
elevated territory of Australia, is included in New South Wales.
Its mountains fail naturally into four classes.
1. The Great Dividing Range and ita spurs or lateral ranges.
2. The Coast Ranges.
8. The Ranges of the Interior.
4-. The Isolated Mountains and Mountain Groups.