but we must notice that, except in the south-east corner, the
boundaries of Queensland have no relation to the natural features
of the country; they are merely mathematical lines. The reason
for this is to be found in the method by which the settlement
was carried out. Moreton Bay was one of Cook’s landing-places in
1770; but the Brisbane River, flowing into it, was not discovered
until 1823; the first settlement was formed in 1824, and the
Province remained part of the mother State until 1859, when after
much agitation it became an independent settlement. The interior
was not explored at the time, so that the only way of determining
a boundary was to follow a line of latitude or longitude. A
similar method has been used in more recent times in parcelling
out unexplored regions of Africa among the European Powers. The
western boundary of the new State was the line of longitude 138°
E., and what is now the Northern Territory remained nominally
part of New South Wales, which thus consisted for a short time of
two areas widely separated.
The very name of the city of Brisbane recalls the connexion with
the older colony, since Sir Thomas Brisbane was Governor of
New South Wales in the years 1821-5, at the time of the first
settlement. The city stands, not on the shores of Moreton Bay, as
we might expect, but twenty miles up the river, on both banks, 4
which are connected by the Victoria bridge. Here is a view over
the bridge from the north bank; and here is a wide view of the 5,6
river beyond the city. There is plenty of space in Brisbane,
with its suburbs, for the population of 100,000; there are
parks and gardens everywhere, and a large number of fine public
buildings. Here are the library and the Executive Buildings in
a beautiful garden, with a statue of Queen Victoria; here again 7
the Parliament House, and here one of the main streets of the 8
city. We have nothing like this in any town of the same size in 9
England, but we must remember that Brisbane has been built for
the future, and is the capital of a State more than three times
the size of France.
Brisbane lies in the extreme corner of Queensland, not, it may
seem, a very good position for the capital; but the south has
the more temperate climate, while behind Brisbane is some of
the most fertile land in the State. Westward a railway runs for
nearly five hundred miles, at right-angles to the coast-line, to
Charleville on the Warrego; we are about to make a rapid survey
of the country from it. Twenty-five miles out, we pass through
Ipswich, at the head of the river navigation; it is a busy town
with valuable coal mines and the main railway works of the State.
Then we climb again the steep plateau edge, which we descended
on our journey from Sydney, and come out at Toowoomba, on the
Darling Downs, fifteen hundred to two thousand feet above the
level of the sea.
The Darling Downs country was reached in 1827, by Allan
Cunningham, botanist and explorer, who travelled by way of the
Hunter River and the Liverpool Plains; but the journey was
difficult, and the first occupation was not until 1840, when
Patrick Leslie brought over a few sheep and settled in the
neighbourhood of Warwick. Others soon followed; the direct road
to the coast was discovered, and the basin of the Condamine River
became a great pastoral country where fortunes were made by the
early squatters. There is less rain here than on the eastern
side of the plateau edge, but it is sufficient for agriculture,
and there is plenty of water in the streams. Much of the soil is
volcanic in origin, and of great fertility, so that the land is
wasted on sheep. Here we see the natural grass in this fertile 10
region, and here is a great sheep run. The rancher’s home, which 11
we have next, suggests comfort and success. At the present time, 12
with the aid of the Government, the great pastoral properties are
being broken up gradually, and sold or let to farmers; so that a
district which started as a sheep run bids fair to become one of
the most important agricultural areas in Australia. Toowoomba, 13
the chief centre of this fertile district, has already the air
of a busy and prosperous market town, as we may judge from the
picture here.
As we travel further west the country becomes drier and rather
less fertile, so that agriculture gives way more and more to
sheep. The conditions are not unlike those which we found to the
west of Sydney; and we have seen that the Condamine and other
rivers of this area all belong to the New South Wales river
system. In fact we are crossing the northern end of the long
agricultural belt which lies behind the coast ranges. Though we
are close to the Tropic, the climate is not very different from
that further south, owing to the height of the plateau above
the sea. There are even slight frosts in the winter. Further
north, we shall find a marked change; wheat disappears and sheep
give way more and more to cattle. The cause of this lies in the
different conditions of rainfall and temperature. To visit this
country to the north we must return to Brisbane and resume our
journey along the coast.
Our first port of call is Gladstone, nearly three hundred miles
north of Brisbane, on the landlocked inlet of Port Curtis, one of
the finest natural harbours on the whole coast. Here is a view of 14
the bay and the jetty. As we see, there is no very great trade 15
at present, no line of wharves and warehouses; the importance
of Gladstone is in the future; its chief business at present is
the shipment of meat and cattle. A short railway journey takes
us to Rockhampton, which lies some distance up a river, the 16
Fitzroy; in this it resembles Brisbane. Near Rockhampton we find 17
a steamer loading frozen meat from the factory. From Rockhampton
the central railway runs nearly due west for over four hundred
miles, to the Thompson River on the Bowen Downs. There is also
a railway along the coast to Brisbane, linking up the various 18
small seaports; but this line is a late construction. The typical
railway of Queensland starts from the coast and runs directly
inland; and the development of the country follows the same
course.
As we follow this inland line, in the wetter districts near the
coast we find cattle everywhere. Further west, where the rainfall
grows less, there are more sheep; but the area of considerable
rainfall is much greater than in the districts further south,
owing to the broadening out and irregularity of the eastern
highland mass. The whole of this moist area is particularly
suited to cattle.
Before the settler can begin either cultivating the soil or
raising cattle, there is much preliminary work to be done. A
large part of Eastern Queensland is covered with forest or scrub,
which must be cleared by cutting down and burning. Here we have
a settler starting operations in a rough camp: he seems to have 19
a difficult task before him. Here he has reached the stage of a
permanent hut, with a small area of cultivated land round it, and 20
beyond, roughly fenced pasture with the remnants of the forest
showing in it. Here again are the cattle feeding in pasture 21
where the trees have been ringbarked and so partly destroyed.
To destroy, cut down, and burn trees which may yield valuable
timber may seem an extravagant method, but the settler here has
even less choice than in the Grafton district of New South Wales,
where we saw the same methods employed. The timber is certainly
valuable. Here are specimens of the hardwoods which we use for
street pavements and railway sleepers, and for other purposes
where great strength and endurance are needed; these are the
blackbutt and Queensland Karri pine, and there are many other 22
varieties. The difficulty is to get them to the markets where
they are wanted. Here we see one method; a trainload of sleepers 23
is leaving the sawmills, bound for India; but the railways are
few and in many districts the logs must be dragged at a slow rate
by bullock teams to the banks of the nearest creek, where they
lie perhaps for months until there is enough water to float them
down to the larger rivers and so to a seaport. This method is
commonly used for the cedar which grows near the coast, and we
have already seen it in New South Wales. Except in a few places
easily accessible, the natural forest wealth of Queensland is as
yet hardly touched.
The railway which we have been following from Rockhampton runs
almost along the Tropic. Townsville, our next landing-place,
over eight hundred miles north-west of Brisbane, is well within
the Tropic, yet in many ways it resembles Rockhampton and
Gladstone. From this point another long line runs inland to
end on a tributary of the Diamantina, about a hundred miles
north-west of the terminus of the line from Rockhampton. We
may notice that both these lines, after crossing the wide area
of coastal drainage, reach the streams flowing into the Lake
Eyre basin. They thus form real links with the interior. After
Brisbane, Rockhampton and Townsville are the most important 24
ports in the State. Townsville lies on a broad open bay, and
the harbour has been made at great cost by building out long 25
jetties. This has been done because here is the sole outlet for
a very large area of country to the west. Here we find more meat 26
and cattle; and again at Bowen, a small port on a fine natural
harbour which we passed further south, they are landing cattle
for the local stockbreeders. In short, the whole of this north
and north-eastern district is the home of cattle; cattle running 27
on the cleared scrub lands and pastures of the interior, or
fattening on the rich alluvial lands round the creeks near the
coast, where the surroundings, as we see from this picture, are 28
very different.
The coast region itself has something of far greater interest
than cattle. There is here a higher uniform temperature than
in the uplands, and in some parts a very heavy rainfall; the
result is the growth of tropical and sub-tropical plants, and of
these plants one of the most interesting to us is sugar. We find
sugar-cultivation in patches, all along the coast from Brisbane
northwards; and a little even in the extreme north of New South
Wales, since the change in climate is very gradual in the coast
region. But the most important districts for sugar lie near or
inside the Tropic, where the cane is grown on the rich alluvial
lands of the coast plains and river valleys.
On our voyage to Townsville we passed Mackay, one of the chief
centres of sugar-production; outside the Tropic is Bundaberg,
where the cane is grown by the aid of irrigation; while in the
far north is the important district of Cairns. The fertile land
is covered with dense scrub and must be cleared; here is a 29
clearing in progress; notice that the scrub is different from
that which we saw up-country: it is palm. Within two years of
planting the shoots the cane is ready for cutting, and in the
northern districts we can go on for many years cutting the new
canes as they spring up, without the need of re-planting. Here
is the cane growing by irrigation in Bundaberg, one of the drier 30
districts, and here is the reaping of the harvest. We notice 31
that the cutters are white men. In the early days of sugar, the
cultivation was on large estates, each manufacturing its sugar
in its own mill. The heavy work was done by Kanakas, imported
from the islands of the neighbouring Pacific. This is no longer
allowed, and the cane is grown more and more on small farms, by
white labour. The growers then sell it to a central mill, where
the cane is crushed and the juice extracted. Some of the mills
are owned by the small farmers on the co-operative principle, but
more often the miller has nothing to do with the growing of the
crop. Here we see a trainload of canes bound for the mill. There 32
is now a Government bounty given for sugar produced entirely by
white labour, and it seems to have been proved that, on the small
farming system, it can be grown thus and show a good profit. But
there are other and more attractive occupations for white people
in Queensland, and though the whole coast, right round to the
Gulf of Carpentaria, is suitable for sugar, it does not seem
likely in the near future to become a large industry in a White
Australia.
Sugar is one of the most interesting and valuable of the tropical
products of the coast region; but many others are grown, some for
the market, others hardly beyond the experimental stage. Let us
look at some of these. Here at Woombye are pineapples and bananas 33
growing; and on the Johnstone River huge crates of bananas are 34
being shipped for the markets in the towns further south. At
Kuranda, on the Barron River, is a large coffee plantation where 35
we may see the bushes growing and follow the berry as it is
dried and husked. Here we notice the pruning of the coffee bush, 36
and here is a fine specimen with the pruning completed. Not far 37
away, in the State Nursery at Kamerunga, we find all kinds of
tropical plants growing side by side. The nursery is an official
experiment ground, since the Government is anxious to test the
possibilities of the region for all kinds of economic plants. We
walk down a fine avenue of palms and visit the quarter where they 38
are experimenting with rubber trees. Here is a large plantation 39
of the trees, and here we see the method of tapping. In a corner 40
we come on a curious African rubber tree, in which the juice
exudes, not from the bark, but from the fruit. More prosaic, but 41
none the less useful, are the fibre plants, such as sisal hemp,
of which we have a fine specimen here. Cotton-growing has also 42
been attempted on a small scale, and the Commonwealth Government
provides a bounty for its encouragement. The main difficulty is
the high cost of labour for its cultivation. Here we see the
picking of the cotton. We may gain some idea from these gardens 43
of the great variety of tropical and sub-tropical plants, all of
which will grow well on some part of this northern coast. The
only need is labour to clear the scrub and make full use of the
fertile alluvial soil and the warm rains.
Clearing is very necessary in this region since the bush
grows with great luxuriance. By travelling inland a few miles 44
from Cairns we may find a picture of the bush in its natural
state. The coastal plain south of Cairns is very narrow, for in
the background, a short distance inland, are various mountain
ranges such as the Bellenden Ker range, said to be the highest 45
in Queensland. Only twenty miles from Cairns, in the foothills
of one of these ranges, the little Barron River comes tumbling
down in rapids and falls, amid some of the finest scenery in 46
Australia. Here is the river a short distance above the falls; 47
and here are the falls themselves from above and below. The 48
railway, following the course of the river, brings us to the 49
little township of Atherton. Here is the main street. We notice 50
here a Chinese joss-house; this may serve to remind us that 51
there are other immigrants besides the Kanakas in this northern
region of whom account must be taken by the advocates of a White
Australia. The Chinese have already spread all over the Malay
region to the north, and might equally occupy tropical Australia
if special measures were not adopted to check their immigration.
In the country round Atherton we have all kinds of typical bush
scenery. At one spot we pass giant fig-trees overhanging the
road; next we enter the denser bush. We find lakes in the bush, 52
of which the chief is Lake Eachem, which we have seen before.
Everything suggests warmth and moisture. The rivers, lakes, and
natural vegetation of this region, together with the fertile soil
in the low-lying strip between the mountains and the sea, give us
a picture of the conditions which prevail along the greater part
of the Queensland coast. Here is a tropical garden, typical of 53
the coast. Similar conditions extend right across the northern
edge of the Australian continent.
We have seen that the coast strip at Cairns is very narrow:
behind the mountain edge we shall find the rivers flowing west
into the Gulf of Carpentaria. As we travel westward we enter
rather a different type of country. There is less rain than on
the coast, but more than in the interior further south. We must
remember that in this part of Queensland we are getting near the
zone where a heavy monsoon rain sweeps in from the Pacific in
summer. All this country is well fitted for cattle; but it is
as yet thinly peopled, since there are few railways, so that it
lacks an outlet to the sea. The existing railways are intended
to serve the mining districts, since the gold of this region
has been the chief attraction up to the present time. There are
goldfields scattered all along the eastern side of the highlands.
On the Cooktown line is Palmerville; on the Townsville line are
Charters Towers and the Cape River field; near Rockhampton is
Mount Morgan, one of the most famous mines in the past; it has 54
given rise to a large town which we see here. Here, too, we see
the crushing of the ore, preliminary to the chemical extraction 55
of the gold. Near the coast, north of Brisbane, is the Gympie
field, and in the far north, near the Gulf of Carpentaria, is
Croydon. There are many smaller fields, and we can easily see
the connexion between the railways and the gold. There are other 56
minerals, too, in this area, so we see a whole township based on
tin, and another growing up round a copper mine. 57
Some of the railways have done more than develop the mining
areas; they have been pushed westward into the pastoral country
on the long inland slopes of Queensland. We have already followed
the southern lines for some distance, and we must now carry our
exploration beyond the railway zone, for a very large area in
the State is as yet quite untouched by railways. This area will
be greatly reduced by the execution of the scheme contemplated
by the State Government for linking up all the railways both
along the coast and inland. First there is the country in the
basin of the Flinders River, round the southern end of the Gulf
of Carpentaria; this is being opened up slowly from the sea.
It contains much good pasture land, and already feeds a large
number of cattle. Further south is the drier country where the
streams drain towards the Lake Eyre basin; this is part of the
Rolling Plains which occupy West and South-West Queensland and
the north-west corner of New South Wales. This area is most
interesting owing to the possibility of obtaining water from
beneath the ground.
The rainfall is somewhat scanty, and in the dry weather the
creeks lose themselves in the desert sands or become mere
strings of waterholes. There may be enough food for the cattle
or sheep, but they must have water also, and this can only be
found underground. In the higher country to the east, where the
rains are relatively heavy, are large areas where the water sinks
readily into the ground, as the rock is porous. A long way below
the surface it is held up by impervious strata of clay or rock
and begins to creep away downhill towards the west and the Gulf
of Carpentaria. To the west the surface also becomes impermeable,
so that the water is confined between the two layers, and can be
reached anywhere by boring through the top covering. Sometimes in
these boreholes the water does not rise as far as the surface of 58
the ground, and so must be pumped up; but more often it spouts
out with great force, as we see it here. Some of these artesian
wells give over a million gallons a day, and penetrate for three
or four thousand feet into the earth. The water is often warm and
charged with salts; but this does not seem to harm the cattle.
The water from the bore is run off into trenches extending
perhaps for miles, so that there is plenty of room for the cattle
to drink. By the aid of these wells cattle can live in the
country all the year round; and even the desert stock-route
from South Australia to Queensland can be kept open in the dry
season. The utilisation of a simple geological fact is changing
the whole face of the country.
[Illustration:
_Copyright._) (_See page 55._
ON THE BANKS OF THE YARRA.]
[Illustration:
_Copyright._) (_See page 56._
WASHING GOLD DUST.]
[Illustration:
_Copyright._) (_See page 60._
KING’S BRIDGE: LAUNCESTON.]
[Illustration:
_Copyright._) (_See page 65._
SCAFFOLDING A TREE.]
We have already seen that most of the chief towns of Queensland
lie on or near the coast, and that there are many harbours, often
protected by islands. The towns are there because the country was
developed for the most part from the sea, and in fact settlement
inland is still confined to the neighbourhood of the railways
running up-country from these coast towns. The harbours are there
because the land has sunk and the coast is partly drowned, giving
deep sea-inlets, often where the sea has flooded some old river
valley. As the coast gradually sank, the coral builders were at
work, piling up their reefs in the warm shallows. So we get the
Great Barrier Reef, stretching for fifteen hundred miles along 59
the coast and leaving a calm though rather dangerous channel
between itself and the mainland. The reef is really a series of
reefs, resting on a platform of older rock, and pierced with
numerous openings, especially where the larger rivers enter
the sea; for the coral will not grow in fresh water. In the
neighbourhood of this reef, especially in the north, towards
Thursday Island, fishing for pearl oysters is largely carried on.
The oysters are valuable for the mother of pearl, rather than for
the pearls themselves, which are very small. Here, too, is found
in great quantity the trepang, or sea slug as it is sometimes 60
called, looking like millions of brown cucumbers crawling over
the reef. Here is a portrait of one kind of the trepang; it does 61
not seem very appetising, but the Chinese consider it a great
delicacy. Nearly the whole of the trepang gathered in this region
is exported to China, after being first cooked and dried. The
rest is eaten by the natives, as it does not appeal to European
tastes.
In New South Wales we did not encounter the aboriginal
Australian, since there he has practically disappeared. But he
still survives in considerable numbers in parts of Queensland,
where the country is less favourable for white occupation or has
been settled for a shorter period. Government at the present
day protects the aborigines as far as possible; but none the
less they are steadily dying out and do not count in the future
development of the country. We have already seen how, for the
hard work of the plantations, the brown men from the islands
of the Pacific were brought in, as there was no native labour
available. The Kanaka has now been rejected, and Australia
steadily refuses to admit the Chinese, who seem to be able to
adapt themselves to any country and any climate. So the future of
this northern part of the continent depends largely on the extent
to which the natural resources of the country, as distinct from
its minerals, can be exploited by purely white labour. Some parts
of the coastlands are clearly not fitted for European occupation,
and the policy of a White Australia is only rendered possible by
the fact that the elevation of much of the country within the
Tropic greatly modifies the climatic conditions. If Northern
Australia had been a great lowland, its history must have been
far different.
LECTURE IV
VICTORIA AND TASMANIA