GLIMPSES OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2059, 10 August 1893, Page 35

GLIMPSES OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

By Chables E. Watkins, C.E.M.E.

11-PERTH. From Fremantle to Perth is a distance of 12 miles. Fremantle has a population of 7000 inhabitants, while Perth has some 15,000. The former beats the same relation to Perth as Lyttelton does to Ohristchurob, but having more inviting environs, it is Jikely to become a far larger place than Lyttelton can hope to' be. Indeed, many people witb businesses in Perth bave their private residences in Fremantlo on the score of health, and -for the benefit of the sea .breeze. Tbe country between Fremantle and Perth is still . covered with maiden busb, though none of the trees attain to any great size. The rock in this vicinity appears to have been formed in coral waters, and carries a large proportion of lime, formirtg a sedimentary marine deposit. Tbe stone at tbo quarries is of this class, and rather friable for harbour works, &s. ' Owing to the disintegration of rock, which follows the Swan river to Perth, the soil is of a white, Fandy nature, though it seems well adapted for cultivation where it has been attempted. Wild flowers grow in great profusion aU along tbe railway line, and add considerably to tbe enjoyment of the journey. ' Perth itself is picturesquely situated on the Swan river, which bounds-it on, tbe south and east. On the west is the recreation reserve (some 900 acrea) and Mount Eliza, while on the north miles, of' undulating country give nnlimited possibilities of settlement. The principal street in Perth is Hay street. It has, unfortunately, undergone tbe same pariog process as High street in Fremantle, and with the same disastrous result. BUILDINGS. Of course the most imposing are tbe Government buildings . and Government House. The general post office also presents a goodly front, as do the principal banks and insurance offices. Unfortunately, the batiks have Bince proved that their 1 shells are more substantial than their coffers, but tbe effects here are not quite as disastrous aB in tbe siEter jcolonies, or else the people ere more philosophic and take tbe recent failures in that spirit. Hotels thero are in great abundance, and several new ones are in course of erection, though they are not likely to obtain licenses. Prohibitionists are as active here as elsewhere. One building costing several thousands, and in which 180 boarders are kept, was recently refused a license. Church architecture is represented by the- Anglican and Catholic churches. DBAINAGE AND COUNCILLOBS. It is somewhat surprising that Perth, with its 15,000 inhabitants, has as yet no system of drainage ; and here I may perhaps be pardoned for a short digression, showing that in Western Australia, as elsewhere, tbe ways of the city fathers are at times as inscrutable as those of Providence itself— let us hope witb equal good reasons. However, to proceed: The said .city fathers with much care and deliberation chose one out of a number of applicants to fill the important post of oity snrveyor. Many diverse opinions were expressed as to tbe object o£ their choice ; but when a few days afterwards the fathers waited on the Government and asked them to engage one of tbe rejected candidates to produce a scheme of sewerage for the oity, their newly-appointed surveyor being only a road surveyor, opinions were pretty generally expressed " that some one had blundered." The town has a water supply and is lighted with gas, though the latter is shortly to be dispensed with in favour of the electric light. HOUSE BENT. , House rent is at a premium^ For a five or eiz-roomed house 30a a week is asked and received; while more pretentious boueeßof, say, 12 to 13 rooms command the enormous rental of from £4 to. £6 per week. ALLOTMENTS, In every direction round Perth the land has been cut up into suburban allotments. In many instances the > owners bav6 considered themselves firstly, secondly, thirdly, and then their clients. From this it follows that instead of decent, serviceable streets, they have grudged every foot of ground for that purpose, and have, numbers of blind alleys or streets trimmed; down to the narrowest possible;dimenßiony The best land ba?, however, in most cases 'been cut np less stingily, and with streets fairly workable for both horse and foot traffic, whilst tbe blind alley is conspicuons by it's absence. In the absence of better advice,. therefore, if buying from a plan, purcbasewherethe -streets are wide and you will come oub pretty right, at least as far as the quality or your land is concerned. . / In Perth itself land sells as high as £100 a foot in the main streets; 50 chains from' the main street the average price is £2 a foot ; while about two miles' from ihe heart of the town lote can be bought for £5. The depth of lots would average about 150 ft. The fashionable parts 6f Perth for private residences are St. George's, and Adelaide terraces, the Heights "of .Hay street, Mount Eliza, and the north end of -the town generally. The east end is low! lying. In that vicinity are tbe Cemetery, brickyards, and pools of stagnant 'water-^-not very comfortable environs, certainly.' : TO THE GOLDFIELDB ! FBOjI PEBTH TO southebit caoss. The Southern Gross, Or Yilgaru Goldfields, is one of the principal mining centres of Western Australia. The dißtsinca.from Perth in a north-easterly direction* is about 180 miles. For the first 50 miles, the; Midland railway is available; after j^hat good oldfashioned coaching is resorted to, though a railway to Southern Cross -Is in course of contemplation. The CO mites of railway takes us through a number x of budding townships, about to assume very large dimensions if we are to judge by the quantity of land cut np into building allotments. Four miles east from Perth we have Bayswater. The future city is in the meantime indicated by native, bush with a few primitive huts scattered among it. ' Guildford, again, eight miles out, is a pretty little place, boasting of that valuable addition to any vicinity in

Australian scenery— plenty of water. The houses, too, are substantially built of brick, made from large beds of day in that locality. Numbers of business people from Perth live here and enjoy the advantages of a semioountry life. Then comes the Midland Kailway Junction, or the "Railway Camp" in local phraseology. The land in this vicinity, to judge by portions that have been cleared, is particularly good. The Jarrah timber mills next claim attention. From this vicinity the Perth water supply is drawD, and as some of the consumeis object to its being filtered through the sawdust here accumulated, the company generously offer to move their mills for the modest consideration of £50,000 ! At Greenmount, 12 miles out, we get into rocky country — principally of volcanic origin with plenty of granite and diorite. This latter is brought to Perth as road metal, after being broken up in a stone crusher. Here, too, are plenty of small streams of fresh water. A? a matter of fact, the best fresh water through Western Australia is obtained in the hilly volcanic districts. Mills are a feature of the landscape. The burr and whirr of their saws are slowly but purely baring the bosom of our common mother, for the modem Jabal. At Chidlows's Well an adjournment wa3 made for a refreher. Staring us in the face was a signboard and on it in large capitals was, " What do you think I will supply you with ? Something to eat and drink for nothing." Here was a human benefactor worthy to be named with a Howard or a Peabody. Every passenger moved towards that sign, and every moving soul began to entertain better thoughts than was his wont of bis fellow man. The world after all was not so selfish as pessimists would have us believe. Here was an oasis in tbe desert of human greed and selfishness 1 And for Western Australia was reserved the honour of so precious a production I All honour to a country which can boast of an inhabitant so disinterested and so permeated withja genuine desire for the welfare of bis fellow man ! We breasted bis bar and gazed on his venerable countenance as we swallowed bis victuals and drank bis liquors, and though tbe outward man was not so different from the usual wayside housekeeper as one might have expected, still we could trace the bidden goodness beneath a rough exterior. The diamond was there, however encrusted. With looks and words of thanks we were about to move off at the warning of the bell. " I'll trouble you for the caßh, gentlemen," quoth the benefactor. We gasped and gazed reproachfully at him. " Your sign ? " we said. " My eign is just it," returned this impostor. " What, do you think I'll supply you with something to eat and drink for nothing? Certainly not. Hand over, gentlemen." We "handed over" and returned, "sadder but wiser men." Tbe train took up its burden once more, and sped on through gum forests, with here and there clearings, on which grow vines and frnit trees of all descriptions. The clearings usually comprise from 20 to 50 acres, and have been sold at the npset price of £2 per acre. One or two townships, and still more sawmills, and we find ourselves at York, the agricultural centre of the district. There ; the train finally deposited ns and sped on its southward route. A recent arrival is much struck with the numerous heaps of wood stacked in every direotion about the township. This, on inquiry, turned out to be | Bandal wood, which forms a staple article of commerce between Western Australia and China. Nor is it valuable for its timber alone, a species of oil being- manufactured from the seeds. An enterprising citizen of York has imported some hundreds of camels to serve as carriers between York and the Cross. The strange, UDgainly-looking creatures appear to answer the purpose very well, and as a result the freight per ton has been considerably reduced. From York we set put in earnest for the Cross, our coach bearing the magic sign of "Cobb and Co." Nor is it long before decided traces of auriferous country appear. In close proximity to York is a mine known as " Monger's mice." Here stone was found which assayed sdwfc of gold and lOdwt of silver. The stone resembles the Thames stone, which aIBO carries silver. Tbe road is rougbly formed through endless forests of white and salmon gum, with here and there sandy plains and tracts of country suitable for grazing purposes. The great drawback to the latter is the poison plant, and this is one of the chief difficulties pastoralists have to contend witb. Of the poison plant there are no less than 10 varieties — York road poison, box poison, berry poison, rock poisoD, bard-leaf poison, &c. « i The native black boy and his gin are a valuable addition to the squatter's establishment, from their knowledge of the plant and the remedy to apply as an antidote. Tbe whole route is brilliantly carpeted with wild flowers of every description, which agreeably relieve the otherwise, monotonous forest scenery. A peculiar species of tree, known as the jam tree, and another, known as the gimblet tree, musbnot be forgotten. The tormer is so called from tbe smell of its wood (as of newly-made jam), and tbe latter from its formation, which is exactly like that of a gimlet. It is most valuable for purposes where aparticularly durable wood is required, and is largely used as telegraph poles. However picturesque the scenery, or interesting the country, it will be'admitted that four days' continuous coaching is as much as most of us are capable of with any degree of satisfaction. We were therefore quite ready to say " Good-bye " to our Jebu and bis steeds, when, at the end of the fourth day, he deposited us at tbe door of the local post office in Southern Cross. The township boasts of a post and telegraph office, three hotels, five stores, a bank, nine managers' houseß, and canvas erections, light and airy, where lesser mortals abide. But did not Ballarat the 'magnificent spring from even humbler beginnings I— and are not the Government about to spend £5000 on improved, official buildings 7 The Tokomairiro Farmers' Club has a credit balance of over £14. Two Armenians who have arrived in England give horrible details of tbe psrsecution their countrymen have been undergoing. An indignation meeting is to be held in London,