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New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5441, 25 April 1879, Page 4

Ocii' telegrams ihra morning inform, us that the llyiug survey of'the. proposed trans-continental line of railway in Australia has been satisfactorily completed. A fuw years ago a proposal was made in Adelaide to make a trans-continental line of railway from Port Augusta, at tlie head of the Spencer Gulf, to Port Darwin, —the present termination of the overland lino of telegraph. Thoproposal was a vast one, and the work ~iv.i3 estimated to cost from £15,000,000 to £20,000,000, and to require from 1-1 to 20 yeara to complete. To reduce the first actual outlay, it was then suggested to-.give alternate blocks of laml on either side of the line of .'railway to the., company who would undertake the work. ■Whether the working of such a length'of line, large portions of which would have to traverse comparatively barren;and sterile districts, would hare paid even working expenses for many years to come is a question which would be difficult to answer, but the scheme collapsocTiiftcT consultation with engineering talent in Britain. Since then the people of Queensland have taken a liking to have the capital, Brisbane, made one of the termini of a, line of railway which would bring a portion of the passenger and other trade of Ikirmah and India that way. The- proprietors of tho Brisbane Courier and Qiicenslandcr fitted ' out an exploring party to traverse the country between Brisbane and Port DarWin, and make a flying survey of tho proposed line as..they.'passed along. A feuweeks ago tve were -informed of the acrival of the explorers at Port Darwin, and that they had taken ship there to return to Brisbane. The telegram published this morning implies that they" have returned to Brisbane in safety, and as part of the result of their observations, we are informed that,the proposed line would be easy of construction, passing for tho most part over comparatively level country. It is also stated that much good laud has been discovered. This : at least will be ample reward fgr tb.e ettterpciiuug rgenilemenwho fitted out the expedition, though

tho construction of the be undertaken for many year,. »* not That the good land thus ,li acov soon be occupied v.-ith flocks a i *'U there can bo •no doubt, and tv ** er(iii will prove a substantia! ~,;.' colonies of Queensland and°S, J° 'he tralia, through which the su rv .v\ A"swill pass. J"-* lin The construction of the propo,,! way is a gigantic undertaking f.Vt- * colonies interested to undertak *° combined population of QueensU, South Australia is less than that -V ll * Zealand, and bold though X uw 7 e " settlers have been in theTr raihvn- " n *l taking, they would shrink from' ih M ' Tstruction of about .'WOO miles of through such a territory as much rf ? y interior :of Au.=s'.ralia is. The' 1,7 , would not hi; <;;j')-uly borne by t}',« n colonies, —nbo'i' W) miles passin"-'l'" tIV ° theXorthf.-rn T'-rri'. ry of .South Ail'."", 1 ? 11 while the rcrn.V:ri. : r.-' portion Ol^μ' 1, would paw through the interior of 0, le land. country over S?V tho exploring party passed was cornm tirely level, that, does not give a * idea of the cost of constructing"* railway iu tropical Australia V 3 excessive floods which fr™,-., , occur will caii.se the bridges across war channels to be of extraordinary jj, f r " sions to allow the highest flood wattrpass, and 11113 will add largely to the cr-? of construction. Embankments win a?-' be subject to r the destroying actioj '*• the3e floods, and when working pl an , •" a practicable lin« of railway are pren,i re '.? it will probably be found of a more character than at present siippaicd. "'^ It seenu also a pity that liris!), n should be selected as the southern itminus, when Port Augusta or \ l i*" laide, in 'South Australia, cin C reached by a shorter lino, the lionetone. being the same in each case. ']•, placing the southern end of the trana". continental railway as far south as sible, a greater variety of pr.jji| Ca would be brought within the r.-ich of commerce. Lhia is an advanrj™ which, might go far to making t]i e the overland line a commercial su;>>se From Port Darwin to Brisbane is aQ, distance to travel on a stretch, with ;),» thermometer ranging from 100 deg. 70 deg. Fall.*, and few would c.ire dortake the journey if they found a route going straight to much higher southern latitudes, and in this respect South All 3. tralia could always ou'.bid its more northern neighbour. That the conduct of Australia will yet be intersected from north to south or from east to west with railways there is no reason to doubt, and the preliminary surveys and explorations chat such work must entail cannot fail to make better known the vast resources of the interior.