Port Phillip Bay is about 40 miles in length and the same in width. Hobson's Bay, at its head, forms the harbour of Melbourne; Corio Bay, on its western side, is the harbour of Geelong. Port Phillip Bay is easily navigable by, and affords safe anchorage to, the largest vessels. It has an area of no less than 800 square miles, but its entrance is narrow-the distance between the "heads" of Point Lonsdale on the west and Point Nepean on the east being about 4,000 yards, but the navigable channel, called the Rip, through which the tide rushes with great velocity, is only about 1,600 yards wide.

Other considerable inlets are Western Port, Waratah Bay, and Corner Inlet, to the east of Port Phillip Bay; and Portland Bay and Discovery Bay to the

west.

The largest islands are French and Phillip Islands, in Western Port Bay on the south coast, and Snake Island, off Corner Inlet on the south-east coast. MOUNTAINS: A chain of mountains, the southern part of the Great Dividing Range of Eastern Australia, extends across the colony from east to west, at a distance of from 60 to 70 miles from

the coast.

The eastern part of the Cordillera is known as the Australian Alps, and the range terminates to the west in the Pyrenees and the Grampians.

In these ranges, about 30 peaks rise over 4,000 feet, one-half of them over 5,000, and at least six over 6,000 feet-the loftiest, Mount Bogong, is 6,508 feet above the sea'—but the average elevation of the Victorian mountains is only about 3,000 feet, and some of the lowest gaps are little over 1,000 feet above

sea level.

These long and irregular ranges divide Victoria into two, or rather three, well marked regions—(1) the coast region, from Cape Howe on the east to the mouth of the Glenelg near the western boundary, an agreeably diversified, comparatively well-watered, and certainly the most fertile and attractive, portion of the colony; (2) the broken, undulating country between the mountains and the Murray River; and (3) the wide, level Wimmera district in the northwest, the most sterile portion of the colony, covering an area of some 25,000 square miles, almost exclusively pastoral, scantily watered, and liable to severe droughts. But much of the soil even here, and especially along the banks of the Murray, is extremely fertile, only requiring sufficient moisture to be rendered most productive.

RIVERS: The Australian Alps and the western ranges form the watershed between the Murray river system on the north and the basins of the numerous coastal streams on the south.

Owing to the nearness of the mountains to the sea, there is no space for the development of such long rivers as on the coast plain of New South Wales, still, the Snowy River is 300 miles long (only 120 miles of which, however, are within Victoria), the Latrobe 135 miles, the Yarra Yarra 150 miles, the Hopkins 155

miles, and the Glenelg 280 miles.

Into the Murray, which forms the northern frontier of the colony for 980 miles, flow the Goulburn, 345 miles in length, the Loddon 225 miles, the Campaspe 150 miles, the Ovens 140 miles, and the Mitta Mitta 175 miles. The waters of the Avoca, 163 miles long, the Wimmera, 228 miles, in the dry and

feet; Mount Hotham, 6,100 feet; Mount Cobberas,

1. Other lofty peaks are Mount Feathertop, 6,303 | 6,025 feet; and Mount Pilet, 6,020 feet.

sandy Wimmera district, rarely reach the Murray, generally terminating in salt lakes or marshes. The Gippsland District, in the south-east, is exceptionally favoured with running streams; and, with the exception of some of these, and the Yarra Yarra, the Goulburn, and the Murray, none of the Victorian rivers can be said to be navigable.

In winter time, the Victorian rivers, like other Australian streams, are "frequently swollen by the heavy rains into angry torrents, which carry all before them in their resistless course, and, overflowing their banks, devastate the country. Many of the smaller streams, colonially called 'creeks,' and indeed some of the larger rivers in the west, dwindle down into mere threads of water and occasional pools or water-holes, during the summer heat, and sometimes dry up altogether, a circumstance which, when it occurs, is productive of terrible loss to stockowners, cattle and sheep dying in thousands from thirst." LAKES: There are numerous salt and fresh water lakes, but most of them are shallow, and many are dry during the summer months. The largest is Lake Corangamite, which lies about 50 miles to the west of Geelong and covers nearly 90 square miles, but, as it has no outlet, its waters are salt. Lake Colac (10 square miles), a few miles distant, is quite fresh. The Gippsland Lakes-Wellington (50 square miles), Victoria (45 square miles), King, and Reeves-are only separated from the sea by a belt of sand, through which there is a narrow entrance, usually navigable by small steamers.

"The scenery of Victoria is diversified and pleasing. The hills and mountains are mostly clothed with dense forests, and the ranges of the Australian Alps offer much grand mountain scenery. Again, in the west, the Pyrenees and Grampians are very picturesque, and some of the rivers are broken by waterfalls of great beauty. The whole country, from Melbourne westward, is exceedingly rich in soil and varied and beautiful in scenery. Here there is an additional charm in the numerous extinct volcanoes which occur in extraordinary numbers. In many instances the craters are perfectly defined, leaving not the slightest doubt as to their former character. In general they appear as isolated cones, such as Mounts Elephant, Eles, Napier, and others, standing out conspicuously from the surrounding level; in others, as the Warrior Hills, between the Lakes Colac and Coran. gamite, they assume the form of a small chain comprising about a dozen volcanic hills. Within and around the craters are strewed rocks of pumice and lava; and the lower part is often occupied by a small lake, sometimes of fresh water, at others of salt, or nauseous to the taste from the presence of sulphuretted hydrogen. This fine country is also varie. gated with salt lakes and lagoons, some of which, by their circular form, their peculiar mineral water, and a sort of escarpment round them, have the appearance of craters, although not in the customary form of cones. Luxuriance of vegetation everywhere accompanies the volcanic deposits."-A. R. Wallace.

CLIMATE: The climate of Victoria is, on the whole, warm, dry, and distinctly healthy.

Victoria is not so hot as New South Wales or Queensland, still the temperature sometimes rises in January above 100° F. in the shade, and rarely falls in July, the coldest month, below the freezing-point. The average temperature at Melbourne is about 58°, or 8° above that of London; the rainfall averages 25 or 26 inches, or a little higher than that of London, but the air is so dry and the soil such, that moisture is absorbed much more quickly than in England. Even with the drawback of occasional hot north winds during the summer, the climate of "Australia Felix" is so genial and healthy, that the death-rate is much lower than in England,' and native Victorians consider it to be "the 14-77 per 1,0co, while the birth-rate in the state was 25 86 per 1,000.

3. The Australian Hand Rook, 1895, p. 220.

2. The death-rate in Victoria, in 1900, was only

finest climate in the world." "Though the summer," one writer remarks, "is invariably marked by a few days of great heat, yet even in that season there are many days when the weather is pleasant and cool, and nothing can exceed the climate experienced in the colony in autumn, winter, and spring. A cloudless sky, a bright sun, and a refreshing breeze are characteristic of the greater number of days in each of those seasons; and while the salubrity of the climate is shown by the absence of those diseases which yearly sweep off so many of the inhabitants of England, it is yet equally favourable to the growth of fruits and vegetables of the colder countries.'

PRODUCTIONS: A rich soil, a warm and genial climate, and, in most parts, sufficient moisture, combine to give Victoria a high position in respect of her vegetable productions; the Victorian merino wool is unsurpassed in length of staple, softness, and lustre ; while the colony is justly famed for its immense mineral wealth.

The indigenous plants and animals are similar to those of New South Wales, and the characteristic gum-trees and kangaroos, emus and black swans, parrots of beautiful plumage, snakes (many of them venomous and too numerous to be at all pleasant), and mosquitoes, are distinctly Australian. But numerous well-known English animals and birds have been introduced, and have taken very kindly to their new home; some of them, such as the rabbit and the sparrow, have multiplied so enormously as to become serious pests to the sheep farmer and fruit grower.

Pastoral Pursuits : Although mining (principally for gold), agriculture, manufactures, and commerce have been developed to a greater extent in Victoria than in any other of the Australian colonies, the pastoral industry stands second to none in importance, and wool and other animal products and live stock amount to considerably more than half the total value of the exports of the colony

The genial climate, dry air, and rich natural pastures naturally gave an impulse to pastoral industry, and, soon after its settlement, the country became famous for the excellence of its flocks and herds. All the ordinary domestic animals have been brought to the highest perfection, but the greatest success has been achieved in the rearing of sheep and in the production of wool of the highest quality. The merino wool of Victoria is absolutely unsurpassed, and invariably commands the highest prices in the European markets. it, all other wools look mean and dull. In its brilliancy and softness it seems

"Beside

to reflect the sunny skies under which it grows. early became the favourite with European manufacturers, and has ever since maintained its place as the

most valuable merino wool in the world."

At the present time over 10 million sheep are depastured in the state, not, as formerly, over great "runs," each larger than many an English county but in enclosed paddocks; in fact, almost the whole state is now subdivided and fenced in, and provision is generally made for feeding and watering the sheep during the seasons of drought, when rivers and streams are either dry or mere chains of pools, and there is scarcely any grass.

Victoria is pre-eminently the "Land of the Goldern Fleece." The old Spaniards used to say that "sheep have golden feet-wherever the print of their footstep

1. "The Merino Sheep in Australia," by G. A. Brown.

is seen the land is turned to gold," and this is true of Victoria; her golden fleeces have produced more wealth than even her fabulously rich gold mines. Cattle-rearing is by no means so important an industry as sheep-farming, stili there are nearly 14 million head of cattle in the state, a vast increase from 155 head in 1836.

The number of horses is comparatively large--373,000-and Victorians generally are quite at home in the saddle, while horse-racing is extremely popular with all classes, and almost every town, village, and hamlet has its

race course.

AGRICULTURE has made much progress of late years, and is becoming an important industry, not only along the coast, but also in the region north of the Dividing Range, where the rainfall is so scanty and precarious that it has to be supplemented by irrigation. A large proportion of the soil in Victoria is exceedingly fertile, and, where the rainfall is ample or irrigation possible, it yields splendid crops. Nearly every. thing grown in England grows equally well in Victoria, and very many things that the cold, uncertain climate of England will not allow to come to maturity, thrive in the rich soil and warm climate of Victoria. Wheat of the finest quality, with oats, barley, maize, root crops, hay, and English grasses, are extensively cultivated, while both soil and climate are peculiarly adapted for the perfect growth of the vine and the olive, and wine and oil of the highest quality can be produced on a large scale. All the fruits of temperate regions, and many distinctively sub-tropical, come to perfection, and vegetables of all kinds can be grown all the year round. The productive area of the colony will be very largely increased when the National Irrigation Works in the Goulburn, Loddon, Campaspe, Wimmera, and other districts have been completed: these and private enterprises, such as the Mildura Irrigation Colony,' will transform some of the most arid districts into the most productive portions of the colony. In a warm and dry climate like that of Victoria, land that can be irrigated will support a population ten or twenty times as large as that which it can bear without irrigation.

MINING for gold has been by far the most important industry, and it is to its enormously rich goldfields that Victoria owes its extraordinarily rapid progress.

44

Victoria was par excellence the Gold Colony, and fully one third of its area is occupied by gold-bearing rocks. The precious metal occurs in quartz and alluvium. Several of the quartz mines are now worked to a depth of over 2,000 feet-Lansell's, at Bendigo, is 2,640 feet deep-and even alluvial mining requires expensive machinery and a large amount of capital. No fortunes can now be made by individual diggers as in the early days, when gold was indeed 'more plentiful than blackberries," and when large nuggets were not infrequently unearthed. All that is passed: corn and wool have long been of more value than gold, and "gold-mining has become no more exciting than coal-mining, and the gold-fields are as quiet and orderly as the sheep runs." The principal goldfields are in the BALLARAT district, west of Melbourne; the BEECHWORTH district, in the valley of the Ovens; the CASTLEMAINE dis1. About £1,000,000 have been expended on Some claims at Ballarat, 8 feet square and 8 feet this flourishing sett'ement, and 25,000 acres are deep, yielded from £10,000 to £12,000, and a miner now under irrigation. often made as much as £10,000 to £20,000 in a few months.

2. The Welcome Nugget, found in 18:8, weighed 184 ILs. 9 oz. 16 dwts., and was sold for £10,500.

trict, around Mount Alexander, in the valley of the Campaspe; the SANDHURST or Bendigo district, north of Mount Alexander; the MARYBOROUGH district, between the Avoca and the Loddon; the ARARAT district, around Mount Ararat in the Pyrenees, to the west of Ballarat; and the GIPPSLAND district.

Since their discovery in 1851, the goldfields of Victoria have yielded over 67%1⁄2 million ozs. of the precious metal, valued at 270 millions sterling, or twothirds of the gold raised in all Australasia. In 1853, the gold produced reached the enormous amount of 3,150,000 ozs., but in recent years the output has averaged 700,000 to 800,000 ozs. In 1904, it was over 821,000 ozs, valued at 34 millions. The gold-mining population numbers about 30.000, of whom 2,500 are Chinese.

Minerals other than go'd are also found-silver, tin, copper, iron, zinc, and some coal, but the total output of these is inconsiderable, and scarcely 500 miners are employed in their extraction. The coal raised in 1904 amounted to 122,000 tons.

Manufacturing industry has made much progress in Victoria, but the products are almost entirely for home use.

Victoria is the principal manufacturing state in the Commonwealth, and there are now over 4,200 factories and works, employing nearly 76,000 hands.

COMMERCE : Nearly two-fifths of the trade is with the United Kingdom-the rest is principally with the neighbouring states. The imports slightly exceed the exports, four-fifths of which consist of wool, gold, wheat and flour, and live animals. Annual value, over 441⁄2 millions sterling-imports 20, exports, 24%

millions.

The principal exports, in order of value, are wool, gold, butter, bread stuffs, live stock, frozen meat, &c., leather, and machinery.

The chief imports are wool, live stock, and coal, from the neighbouring states; cotton and woollen goods, metals and metal goods, principally from the United Kingdom; tea, sugar, timber, &c.

The direct trade with the United Kingdom is very large, the imports and exports each amounting to about 71⁄2 millions. The imports from the United States amount to about 11⁄2 millions.

The British Imports into Victoria consist chiefly of iron, machinery, cotton and woollen goods, hardware and cutlery, and paper,

The staple articles of export from Victoria to the United Kingdom are goid, wool, live stock, cereals, butter, hides and meat.

PORTS: Melbourne, Geelong, Portland, and Warrnambool are the chief ports.

Five-sixths of the imports are received through, and eleven-twelfths of the exports are shipped from, Melbourne. Nearly 6 million pounds' worth of wool are shipped from Melbourne-the greatest wool port in the world-every year, but less than half of this is produced in Victoria, the rest being sent to Melbourne from the other states for shipment. Geelong is also an important wool port. Nearly 5,000 vessels, with a tonnage of 7,800,000, entered and cleared from Victorian ports in 1904. There is also a large river trade along the Murray.

COMMUNICATIONS: All the railways in Victoria are the property of the State. Over 3,400 miles are now open for traffic,