The Museum—Flower Show—Musical—Native Risings—Zoo—South
Perth—The Old Mill—Moonlight.
The new public library and museum in Beaufort Street is a very handsome
building, and well worth visiting. It contains many interesting
collections of birds, beasts, fishes, and other specimens indigenous to
Western Australia. The fossils found in the coastal limestone and in the
carboniferous formations extending from the Irwin to the Gascoyne and
thence to Kimberly are truly wonderful.
The upper part of a mastodon gives one an idea of the tremendous size
and strength the animal must have had. The casts of the fish-eating
reptiles and saurians are marvellous. Any one going through the museum
and noting the productions of Western Australia, past and present—other
than gold, which many people seem to think is the only thing the colony
can produce—will be considerably surprised.
The marsupials are, I think, of especial interest, and of these there
is a large and varied collection. These marsupials or pouched animals,
from the tiny crescent wallaby, no larger than a very small rabbit,
the pretty little kangaroo-rat, and the funny spectacled wallaby, to
the rufus or red kangaroo, and the great old-man grey kangaroo, taller
than a big man, and possessed of enormous strength and vitality, are,
according to Mr. Woodward, the curator of the museum, characteristic
only of the Australian region, the only kind of animal at all like them
in the world being the American opossum. Some opossums, however, have no
pouch, but carry their young on their backs. The kangaroos, as I think
all Australians know, always carry the little Joeys snug in their pouch.
And during my travels I have often seen them peeping out of their snug
home. Many different kinds of pretty opossums come next, ranging from
the pigmy flying opossum, little ring-tail opossum, and the odd little
rabbit bandicoot to the pussy-looking black, grey, or white opossum,
whose skin and fur make such warm and comfortable rugs for cold places,
but are not often wanted in the mild climate of Western Australia. One
tiny little mouse-coloured kangaroo-rat, found only in the south of
the colony, is very pretty, and makes a dear little pet; these animals
feed on the nectar of flowers, and when tamed, on bread and honey; they
sleep all day curled up into a ball, but are very lively at night.
Sleepless persons desiring a companion may be glad to note this. The
_Myrmecobius fasciatus_, or banded ant-eater, from Coolgardie, is a most
remarkable-looking creature, as, indeed, its Latin name indicates.
The splendid collection of Western Australian birds is really surprising;
after seeing it one wonders how some people could say that there are no
birds in Australia. The typical black swan, white swan, and pelican from
the Swan River; the handsome bittern from Herdsman’s Lake, near Perth;
the giant petrel from Fremantle; enormous emus from the Murchison, are
all to be seen here, the last named with some dear little striped fluffy
young ones, the size of goslings. I have often seen these birds when
travelling on the Murchison myself. The ossifrag, a gigantic black-necked
stork from Derby, in the far north; the Australian egret, so often
plundered for ladies’ hats; magnificent sea-eagles; a most interesting
nest of the sparrow-hawk made of twigs and gum-leaves, and containing
four young ones, over whom the mother mounts guard; cockatoos, parrots
innumerable, with most lovely plumage; and last, but not least, the
graceful native companion from Broome. These are only a few of the birds
belonging to the colony of Western Australia, but I have not space to
mention more of them.
The nests of the trap-door spider are very peculiar; they look like
a piece of ordinary clay, but when the door is opened a perfectly
hollowed-out room is seen within, where the spider and his prey almost
exemplify the old rhyme of childhood’s days. Some of the moths are very
handsome, notably the diuran and the podacanthus, the first named being
very large and of a lovely heliotrope colour. From these insects to a
whale is a big jump, and the skeleton of the whale stranded at the Vasse
in 1897 and secured by Mr. E. C. B. Locke, M.L.A., for the Museum, is one
of the largest of its species, if not _the_ largest; it is nearly 80 feet
in length, and when in the flesh it must have measured 86 feet. The head
alone weighs a ton or more, and the whole skeleton is prodigious. Coming
back from viewing the whale, my attention was drawn to the first two
sovereigns struck off in the Perth Mint, which repose on a velvet bed,
and are, it appears, of much interest to the rising generation, for three
boys were looking at them with great attention. The models of all the
great and wonderful diamonds ever found in the world, some very ancient
Greek coins, and famous French medals, work of noted French medallists
also a cast of the celebrated Moabite stone, the original of which is in
the British Museum, are near here; the last named is of great interest,
being inscribed in three languages—Egyptian hieroglyphics, Semitic, and
Greek; it was discovered in 1799 in the little town of Rosetta, on the
Nile. It was the deciphering of this stone in the Greek language that
gave the clue to Egyptian hieroglyphics. There are also copies of many of
the great works of art in London and Paris, so that, although separated
by so many thousands of miles, Perth still keeps touch with the old world.
The relics from the wrecks of the _Batavia_ in 1629, and of the _Zeewyk_,
wrecked in 1727 at the Abrolhos Islands (the story of which I will tell
later on), are the most interesting things to be seen in the museum.
They consist of silver and copper coins, rosary beads, clay tobacco
pipes, copper kettles and stewpans, knives, spoons, scissors, fish-hooks
and sinkers, tumblers and wine-glasses, some of most delicate glass,
enormous greenish-looking liquor bottles, and some round ones, capable, I
should think, of holding gallons, cannon-balls and bullets, said to have
been manufactured by the mutineers on the islands, and two complete but
rather gruesome skeletons tell a silent and sorrowful tale of the past.
The wonderful shells and corals from these islands made me no longer
wonder that the Dutchmen in 1629 named them “Abros vos olhos,” or “Keep
your eyes open”; they must have named them not only for the dangers of
the coast but for the marvellous things to be seen there.
[Illustration: CITY OF PERTH]
The different kinds of shells, sponges, corals, fish, and birds are
simply amazing. I can only specify a few, amongst which are the
tremendous cup-sponge shell, fully three feet long, the peculiar
montipara or screw coral, and the enormous sponges, the many wonderful
kinds of fish, birds, &c., from these strange islands so near our shore,
as well as from Mandurah, Rottnest, Garden Island, and Fremantle must
be seen to be appreciated, and I recommend every one visiting Western
Australia to go and see them for themselves. The collection of aboriginal
curiosities and relics is ample. The skull of a notorious aboriginal
murderer called Pigeon, who gave the police much trouble in catching him,
was shown to me. This native was named Pigeon on account of his favourite
way of despatching his victims by wringing their necks. There are some
fine native shields, spears, knife dabbas, meeras or throwing-sticks,
kileys or boomerangs, &c., and some most peculiar boat-shaped shells
that are hollowed from young trees and used for carrying water or food;
a wooden helmet, exactly like a sou’-wester, makes one think that one of
the Dutch sailors who came ashore in the early days must have dropped his
hat and some savage have copied the pattern in wood. The fish-spears have
about eighteen barbs both ways; the spearheads are made of many kinds
of different glass, and nowadays the natives knock down the telegraph
insulators and make them into spearheads. In former times silex, of
which knives and chisels were made, was used, but the other material is
easier to get, and the black fellow is well known to be as much averse to
trouble as some of the white fellows. I possess three spear heads from
the Kimberly district, one of which gave the death-blow to a man from
whose chest it was extracted.
[Illustration: Aboriginal Camp]
The medicine-stick or bunganarrie used by the natives as a cure is very
strangely marked, the markings no doubt constituting some imaginary
spell. The dandie is used for tattooing, and the gunda-stick, with a
knob at the end, looks like our life-preserver. The pindie pindie is a
native ornament stick, frilled to represent a feather, and sometimes made
of pretty green and cream colour. The effect is produced by scraping
down the green part of a young branch about two inches till it frills,
then scraping the inner pale part to frill over that. A space comes
next, and then another frill, until the ornament reaches the length
required. These objects the natives stick all over their heads. They
also make very handsome ornaments of large mother-of-pearl shells by
drilling a hole through the top, and hang them by a string of hair about
their bodies. The women have an ornament made from pearl-shell called
the binjah binjah, which hangs down their back attached to a currican
or woman’s necklace. The long marrie is an ornament of kangaroo teeth
attached to a hair-string, to hang down between the eyes. The booran is
a belt made from human hair, worn by the Kimberly natives. The native
women have most stringent ideas of mourning for their dead. A picture
of one mourning for her brother shows her hair all screwed up in little
knobs with wilgie clay and fat. Wilgie is a red-coloured clay or earth
used for various rites and ceremonies. The tomahawk or pulboo has a
handle of wood, the head being made of a kind of flint or stone, fixed
in with a resinous substance called pulga or gum, made from the roots of
the spinifex grass. Native spearheads too are fastened on with this gum,
which is found in solid lumps, and dissolves with heat. String is made by
the natives from the skin of the opossum by means of an instrument called
the boolga, which consists of a long thin round stick, crossed near the
top by two shorter sticks, and has somewhat the appearance of a boy’s
kite. In making their implements they generally employ a tool called a
bedoo, which resembles a spearhead. The ongath or fire-stick is used for
lighting fires, and keeps alight a long while, burning very slowly. These
sticks are carried about almost as we carry matches. The letter-sticks of
the natives, or paper-talk as they now call them, are beautifully marked
and of different sizes, the designs on those from the Gascoyne district
being quite remarkable. Around the stick will be marked, in a kind of
blue ink, all sorts of odd signs and figures, such as a crab, a gun, a
leg, an arm, a lover’s knot, a hand and arm outstretched almost like a
masonic emblem, and many other peculiar signs best known to themselves.
The dewark, or throwing-stick, is also an interesting object, and so are
the many aboriginal carvings and the sharp stones used in their sacred
or tribal rites. The stones used for grinding their food consist of a
large flat stone and a round smooth heavy one. Nalgo is the name of the
principal seed thus ground, but they have many different kinds of food,
which I will describe later. A tree called the boobah-tree grows at
Derby, and produces a nut as large as a goose egg.
The natives about Perth and Fremantle were in early days very numerous
and troublesome. Native risings were frequent, and many hundreds of
aborigines were shot. The present site of the Great Western Hotel was
the scene of a large fight, arising out of the murder of two boys, the
sons of settlers, who were minding cows, and were set upon by the blacks.
The boys ran away to the Swan river, and one jumped in and swam across,
only to be speared on the other side. The other boy did not reach the
bank, but received five spears in his back and died at once. At this the
settlers were soon up in arms, and one bloodthirsty native called Yagin
was outlawed. He was eventually shot near Hutt Street, where the rising
took place, by Dr. Dodd, who afterwards took a large strip of his skin
from shoulder to foot, tanned it, and made it into a belt, which he wore
for years!
That silk can be grown in Perth is testified by some lovely blue and
cream-coloured handkerchiefs made from silk grown here, and presented
to the museum by Sir John Forrest. Next to this case is an old plan of
Leschenhault Port, now called Bunbury, in 1803. Also a little picture of
the ship _Success_ and a man-of-war in Careering Bay, Swan River, in 1829.
Perth does not yet boast of a large Botanic Garden, but as, in the
spring, the whole country around is one vast garden the absence is
not severely felt. There is a charming public garden, small, but very
prettily laid out, near Government House, and opposite the Post Office.
Sir John Forrest prophesied, ten years ago, that in the future Western
Australia would come to the fore, and the prophecy is being amply
fulfilled; no travellers now ever think of making a tour in Australia
without coming to the West. Mr. Frederick Villiers, the famous war
correspondent, says that when he came to the colonies, seven years ago,
he was nearly coming here, and, now having been, he professes to be so
much charmed with Perth, and the view of the Swan River, as to feel
inclined to settle down and end his days there. These little corners of
the world have made him dissatisfied with his business, and as I gazed
upon the many spots of beauty on the river before me, while the faint
red blush of the sky deepened into a crimson sunset and cast a glorious
reflection on the water, I felt myself agreeing with Mr. Villiers and
disposed to stay in my pretty Claremont home for ever, where the sun
seldom shines too fiercely and the winter is like a gentle friend.
One spring day I drove in to Perth to see the flower show, then being
held in the Town Hall. The drive over the bloom-covered slopes of the
park, the sweet odours of the pretty flowers of the Bush mingling with
that of the golden wattle, was most enjoyable. I can never ride or
drive through that park, and gaze on the beautiful scene below, without
feeling that God has indeed given us a lovely world to live in. It was
a holiday, and consequently many little parties (frequently of two)
were exploring the flower-scented knolls and enjoying the breeze from
the water. Perth was quite gay, all the carriages of the _élite_ seemed
engaged in carrying their fair owners to the flower-show. On entering
the Town Hall a perfect blaze of beauty in the shape of wild flowers met
the eye. The silver and golden wattle, laden with fragrant perfume, drew
me immediately to the spot where they were. In the “Salyang Mia-Mia”
(wattle-house) a most refreshing cup of tea was to be procured. Sitting
in this fragrant bower and sipping tea brought to mind the lines:
All the world is turning golden, turning golden,
Gold buttercups, gold moths upon the wing,
Gold is shining thro’ the eyelids that were holden,
Till the spring.
“Djanni Mia-Mia” (bark-tree house) was a triumph of rusticity, and the
collection of hibiscus, boronia, flannel-plants and mauve everlastings
were so lovely that I was obliged to buy several bunches of the different
kinds. The bamboo stall was also very artistic, and the bamboos furnished
receptacles for water, by means of which the flowers were kept fresh.
“Yanget Mia-Mia” was the name of the bush-house, which had a background
of bulrushes and blossom, and various bouquets of all sorts, sizes and
scents were so tempting that I bought more, and found myself becoming a
walking flower-garden. Wild flowers were here in every variety and hue.
Specimens of native flora had been gathered from the hills and dales for
miles around. The anygoxanthus (kangaroo paw), a most wonderful flower,
was to be seen in many different hues: the blue and red leschenaultia,
the trailing white clematis, or virgin’s bower, hanging in charming
clusters, white and red hibiscus, and the more delicate heliotrope
variety of the same flower, the delicate grey smoke-plant, with its dark
green leaves, the snowflake flower, which, when blooming on its native
earth, looks like a snow white carpet, one after another caught the eye.
These flowers have long stems, and make exquisite table decorations.
The thysanctus, or fringed lily, is a remarkable satiny-looking flower,
and has a habit of climbing. The delightful boronia has many different
varieties, the pale yellow being the prettiest, and the pink and white
coming next; the dark red or brown, however, gives off a most delightful
and refreshing perfume. The native roses are very pretty, the small blue
ones being the first and last flowers to bloom during the season. The
blossoms of the eucalyptus are of a magnificent crimson, and the delicate
pink and white flowers of the crowea hang in loose clusters. Having
travelled through so much of the Western Australian country, I recognised
many of the beautiful gems that are to be seen adorning the Bush in
various parts I visited. The kangaroo paw, before spoken of, has many
varieties, ranging from faint cream colour, through scarlet, crimson,
yellow, chrome, and green to sable, and in form is exactly like the foot
of our typical Australian animal. The little trigger (candolea) plant,
with its white flower suffused with shades of pink and yellow, and the
marianthus, a climbing flower, are extremely beautiful.
[Illustration: DRIVING IN PERTH PARK AT THE SUMMIT]
The peculiar-looking ice-plant grows in the hot dry sand of the coast.
I admired greatly some soft-tinted native tulips (pink), which were
prettily veined and almost transparent. The actinotis (or flannel
flower) is very abundant and long lasting, and therefore well fitted for
decorations. Pilotus (or cat’s paw) has a pink and white flower, and
retains its colour for a long time. A flower called the lactinostachys
is most phenomenal; the stem and leaves seem to be without sap, and have
a thick woolly covering; the flower looks so artificial that one can
hardly believe it to be real. It is found in the northern part of the
colony in hot dry localities. The clematis is a sweet pure white flower,
which literally covers the trees and shrubs where it climbs. The banksia
(or honeysuckle) is a handsome flower, with a kind of crimson cone. The
parrot-plant looks like a many-coloured bird. The grevillia (or native
fuchsia) is here in many hues. Sturt’s desert-pea is a very handsome,
brilliant scarlet flower, with black centre. The fringed verticordia,
with its lemon-centred foliage, is pretty, and so is the callistemon,
which has bright scarlet plumes. The petrophila flower has striking
blossoms that look like rich pink velvet, while the yellow flowers and
peculiarly formed leaves (resembling a stag’s horn) of the synaphea were
the most remarkable growths that I saw. Everlastings in every colour
imaginable were there. The delicate but striking beauty of various
orchids was shown to great advantage; the calendia (or spider orchid),
with its peculiar spots, was particularly attractive: the douris (or
dog-ear orchid), and the prasophyllum, with its spikes, 18 inches long,
of dense white flowers, were interesting; so was the lyperanthus orchid,
whose flowers turn black when dried; while the drakea (or hammer-head
orchid) looked almost like a little duckling. The glossodia, spotted
white, seemed as if it were varnished. Then there was a sensitive plant
called the pterostylis, which almost resembled a tiny box, with a movable
labellum, which is sensitive, and, when irritated by an insect, closes
the box and imprisons the insect. Droseracea belongs to the fly-trap
family, and has leaves and tentacles covered with a sticky juicy kind of
acid, which arrests the inquisitive little insects, who come doubtless
attracted by the dew on the leaf. As soon as these tentacles are touched
the leaf closes in upon the unwary insect, which is soon absorbed by the
juice exuded by the plant. The flower of the byblis, by far the largest
and most attractive of the species, is of a rich salmon-pink colour.
Probably the brightness of the flower attracts the insect to the stem and
leaves, which are covered with the same juice as the droseracea, but in
this instance the insect is absorbed on the surface of the plant. There
are thirty-six species of insectivorous droseracea.
[Illustration: GATHERING WILDFLOWERS]
There are hundreds of other species of orchids and thousands more of
wild flowers. The late Baron von Mueller said, “Australia is a great
continent, and much of its vegetation is yet unexplored.” The Baron added
“that more than half of the total vegetable species known in Australia
were represented in the West,” and mentioned over 9000 of them. Dr.
Morrison, our Government botanist, informed me that there were more than
3000 species of wild flowers.
As I was leaving the flower-show I noticed some very fine Anthorreas.
“The King Blackboy” is a Western Australian grass-tree much admired.
A handsome painting of the Nutsyia fire-tree, or Christmas-bush, also
demanded notice. This tree bears very bright yellow or amber flowers
about November and December, and the blossoms being of such a brilliant
colour, and growing on trees that attain the height of from 20 to 30
feet, are very conspicuous and visible at a great distance.
Taking the little steamer one morning I crossed to South Perth. The new
Zoological Gardens are worth seeing, if only for the superb view from
them. A recent visitor said that he had seen many gardens in various
parts of the world, but none in a more beautiful position than at Perth.
The gardens occupy about forty acres of ground, and are a favourite
resort on Sundays and holidays. Family parties are made up to go to the
“Zoo,” for many Western Australian children have never seen wild animals
elsewhere, except in picture-books. The grounds are beautifully laid
out; the aromatic flower-beds, ornamental ponds and rockeries, gushing
fountains, miniature castles, turrets, &c., make it a charming place to
spend an afternoon and evening. At night the grounds are illuminated with
hundreds of different-coloured lamps, which send a rainbow radiance
over the scene. Concerts are held every Saturday evening during summer,
and there is a really fine quartet, called the Orpheus, whose harmonious
blending of sweet music in the lovely summer nights is well worth
listening to; the Headquarters band also plays. Many of the animals
awakened by the sounds of music (which is said to soothe the savage
breast) evince much curiosity, others slumber on, no doubt soothed by
the sweet strains. There are two splendid lions in separate cages. The
lioness is very bad-tempered, and on being placed in the cage with the
king of beasts, instead of showing a taste for his society, clawed him
unmercifully, he standing the bad treatment in a most kingly manner. Her
highness was, therefore, placed in a cage by herself to recover her good
temper.
The baby tiger seemed to be a great favourite, and it was quite amusing
to see the antics of the monkeys in their play-room with the little
ourang-outang, with whom they seemed to fraternise amicably and to
play with quite happily. A ride on the donkey was much enjoyed by my
little niece. I wanted her to mount the dromedary, but she declined
that pleasure. Boys are pleased with the ponies, and the handsome
goat-carriages come in for a share of admiration. The sacred Indian cow
from Singapore, the newly arrived leopards, the white kangaroo (a great
favourite), and all the others, too numerous to mention, were thoroughly
inspected, and the children from the goldfields seemed delighted to see
animals hitherto only known to them through the medium of books. Hot
water is provided free of charge, and picnics are frequent; happy parties
of little ones were sitting down in the cool shade and making the place
ring with their voices. A view of the Canning river lies on one side and
of the Swan river on the other, the garden being situated on an arm of
land almost surrounded by water.
[Illustration: SOUTH PERTH FROM THE BANKS OF THE SWAN]
South Perth was in early days intended for the site of the city, but the
business parts having occupied the other side of the river, South Perth
has been left to become a most charming and aristocratic suburb, many
handsome residences, pretty villas and gardens adding to the natural
beauty of the place. An old mill is still standing on the extreme end of
the Point, and eventually a bridge will span the Swan river and connect
Mill Point with Perth at the foot of Mount Eliza, near the park. Land
is becoming very valuable here, and I have bought a plot with a view to
building a villa in this beautiful place.
I did not return by steamer, which only takes ten minutes to cross the
water, but preferred to drive round by land—a drive of about four miles.
We drove about three miles before coming to the glorious Causeway, a
stretch of water which is spanned by an enormous and handsome bridge.
From this point a moonlight view of South Perth, Perth, and the Swan
river winding its way to Guildford, is seen, and forms a very fitting end
to a day’s pleasant excursion.
[Illustration: Fremantle Pier]