A Flower-Strewn State

Hawera Star, Volume L, 29 November 1930, Page 9

A Flower-Strewn State

W HAT a wonderful variety of scenery is to be found within our own State of N.S.W., writes R'. H. Campbell in the “Sydney Morning Herald. Every district seems to have its peculiar charm. MaiD people enthuse over the scenic beauties of the coastal districts. Others admire the rugged grandeur of the Blue Mountains. Some. prefer the snow-clad heights of Kosciusko. During the month of September a trip of a thousand miles across our wide stretching Western plains provided a vista of surpassing loveliness. It recalled memories of rural England in the beauty of springtime and it would be difficult foi any country to provide a more superb spectacle than this western wonderland. Early in the year, as the result of the prolonged drought, the ground was parched and barren, and, to the uninitiated, it appealed as if all plant life had perished. In recent months bounteous rains have fallen, and the wilderness has been made “to rejoice and blossom as. the rose.” The recuperative power of the soil is almost incredible, and Nature has demonstrated her prodigality in the amazing variety of flowers and herbage' that deck the landsacpe. . The traveller on a west-bound train looks out in the early morning on the wheat fields between Wellington and Dubbo. The useful and ornamental kurrajong trees standing in the wal - ing- wheat fields make a striking picture.. Between Dubbo and Narromine a range of hills is seen, but for 200 miles beyond that the railway runs in almost a direct line over level country. In drought time one may complain of the “everlasting sameness of the never-ending plain,. ’ but in springtime, if there is any sameness, it is monotony of a glorious garden. The wheat belt has been"pushed out almost to Nevertire, and at the Nyugan experiment farm one can see a splendid crop of wheat being harvested. Within 40 miles .of Cobar splendid results have been obtained in growing wheat this season. There has been a prodigious growth of crowfoot, clover, and other herbage, and a golden opportunity has presented itself to demonstrate the value of the eonservaton of fodder. During the recent spring enough herbage has been available to provide thousands of tons of fodder to make into ensilage for drier periods. In the midst of such profusion of vegetation there is the idyllic touch when one sees in the western country the sheep lying down “in green pastures.” The narrative of the Creation reminds ns that the “Lord Cod planted a garden eastward in Eden.” In this western garden the Divine Artist has awakened to life the sleeping seeds that lay in the sun-scorched plains, and for hundreds of miles one passes through a panorama of unfolding beauty. The canvas is spread on

The Wondrous West

Marches of the “Never Never”

such a scale of immensity, and almost every shade of colour provides its quota to the kaleidoscopic picture. Imagine an area as great as England and Wales carpeted with flowers. In some places there is the beautiful blending of the blue flower of the crowfoot, the red poppy, and the white everlasting. The massed effects are seen in square miles of white and mauve daisies and in the purple patches of the Darling pea. In other paddocks a carpet of green and gold delights the eye. Mile after mile, as the train slowly moves on towards Bourke, the traveller is captivated with a wealth of floral display that would delight the heart of a botanist. Earlier in the spring the country within miles of Bourke was an mantle of white, and suggested a recent fall of snow. In the middle of September this had given place to myriads of yellow flowers, familiarly. known as bachelor buttons. '

In other places millions of acres of white everlastings make a scene of indescribable beauty. Farther out the gaily coloured Sturt desert pea brightens the landscape. The fragrance that is wafted on the breeze reminds one of wild honey, and helps to intensify the appeal made to the eye.

There is a wonderful variety of trees and shrubs in the western portion of the State. The majestic river gums along the Darling River enable one to trace its winding course. Between Cobar and Nymagee extensive belts of cypress pine in*the midst of high grass give the impression of a huge park. The smell of the burning cypress pine is the characteristic odour of western towns. The wilga tree, with branches like the willow, helps in the ornamental effects. No part of the State is so rich in flowering trees and shrubs. Thpre are over 40. varieties of the acacia family, and earlier in the spring the bush was a blaze of gold. The wild hop bush gives colour to its environment, and the tecoma, which seems to find its true habitat among the rocks, brightens even the barren places. One of the most impressive of the flowering shrubs is the turpentine bush. It has a bell-shaped flowex*, which gradually changes colour from white to lavender and then to mauve. The remarkable feature of this shrub is that the flowers are most prolific in the years of drought. Unlike other forms of vegetation, it is useless as fodder, but while it makes no contribution to utility it is a thing of beauty.

For over a thousand miles one travelled through a garden of flowers. In some places they stretched as far as the eye could see, and the only bare land visible was on the wheel tracks of the road. Even the centre of the road was like a garden bed.