1856.
VICTORIA.
REPORT
ON THR
MURRAY RIVER DIS'"fRICT,
IN R EFEltEN CE
•ro
ITS
GEOLOGY, SOIL, PROSPECTIVE RESOURCES, PROPOSED MEANS
OF INTER-COMMUNICATION, ETC.,
SUBMITTED TO THE HONORABLE THE SURVEYOR GENERAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH illS
INSTRUCTIONS, ON 1sT APRIL, 1856,
BY CLEMENT HODGKINSON,
SURVliYOB Ill CHARGE OF EAST BOU&KE, EVELYN, ETC.
i VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE PHILOSOPHICAL INSTfTUTE
OF VHJTOR!A.
PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT BY illS EXCELLENCY'S COMMAND.
ll~ l!lutflorit~ :
JOHN FERRES, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, MELBOURNE.
No.l6.
REPORT:.
Survey Paddork,
1st April, 1856.
SIR,
I have the horror to lay before you the following Report of a cursory
reconnoissance, conducted in accordance with your instructions, of the Murray
River from Albury to Echuca, and as much of the adjacent country as would
be indirectly benefited by the improvement of the navigation of that river.
In order to effect the inspection of as much ground as possible during Po.rtion of country
the very short period of time that my ordinary duties admitted of my absence mspected.
from Melbourne, I requested Sergeant Forbes to go down the Murray to
Echuca in a boat, to take notes during this descent of the position of all shoals,
ledges of rock, or large accumulations of snags in the river bed, and to meet ·
me at certain intermediate points, whilst I inspected both sides of the Murray
from Albury to the confluence of the Ovens ; the lower portion of the basin
of the Ovens; the country comprised between the Ovens, Goulburn, Murray,
and Broken Creek ; and the tract bounded by the Deegay Ponds, the
Goulburn, the Murray, Campaspe, and forest south of the Oorinella Plains.
The portion of the Murray River District extending from Albury to Country adjacent to
the confluence ·of the Ovens consists of tracts of level box forest, on the recent ~tu~~8J:e ~;:
tertiary formation, comprised between the alluvial river flats and the well- fluence of the
grassed forest hills of crystalline rock that extend to a.considerable distance Ovens.
westward of Albury, and gradually recede from the river as the distance from
Albury increases.
Granite forms the highest ridges, but some of the hills near the Murray Ita geology.
consist of mica schist, passing into hard quartzose slate, or else into granitiform
gneiss, quartz displaying ·crystals of black tourmaline, quartz studded with
projecting scales of mica, and -compact quartz rock.
The recent tertiary formation displays at surface an ochreous soil, in
general more argillaceous than arenaceous, and whi-ch freq-uently maintains a
very homogenous appearance to a depth of severa:l feet below the surface.
Much of this soil is of great fertility, abounding in the alkalis derived from the
decomposition of felspathic rocks, and apparently containing calcareous matter;
lumps or nodules of concretionary limestone being found in great abundance at a
moderate depth below the surface of the ground. These nodules are probably
derived from .the action of rainwater on the shells originally embedded in the
porous soil, and which are now rar-ely found therein in a perfect fossil state.
The other beds which I have noticed in this recent tertiary formation are a fine
friable sandstone, a rcoarse ferr·uginous quartzose sandstone, occasionally
passing into a quartzose conglomerate of similar nature, ana pipe clay. These
tertiary beds are ·well ·displayed .in section on the escarped banks which
characterise those portions 0f the bergs 0f the Murray wh.ich impinge on the
river. Small springs :are rnequently seen at points in these escarped banks,
corresponding to the contact of the upper pervious bed:; with the pipe clay.
4
Cattle Stations on left
bank ?f Murray,
between
Albury
and the confluence
of the Ovens.
The stations on the left bank of the Murray, between AI bury and the
Ovens' are as follows ·•
'
RETURN OF STOCK THEREON.
Area. in
Acres.
Name.
.
.
..
...
Wodonga • •
Barnawatha •
Gooramadda •
Wagunyah
Bremin
TOTAL.
·I
Sheep.
Cattle.
Horses.
41000
38400
53132
34476
28459
...
...
...
...
...
2000
1500
1060
880
543
49
50
46
27
195467
...
5983
222
50
· I roughly estimate the area of the land available for cultivation in
• •
to the 1e1t
i". b
prox1m1ty
an k of t he Murray f rom Alb ury tot h e Ovens, an d near
the Indigo Creek and Black Dog Creek, to be fifty thousand acres. This
· extent of land embraces a few small plains clear of timber, but is .however for
the most part wooded by the box variety of Eucalyptus, Banksia, Casuarina
Torulosa (sparingly), and· on the more arenaceous sites by Cypress Pine or
Callitris Pyramidalis. It would be found exceedingly well adapted for the
· production of wheat, oats, lucerne, &c.
Red arenaceous soil
· I may here state 0D"enerally that the red soil so prevalent throuo·hout
the
ofthetertiaryform•
•
d • • f h. Murray basin,
· : would, from Its
• 0favorable
ation, very favora- recent tertmry manne epos1ts o t e
ble for vine culture. constituents, depth, and slight amount of labor required to trench it, render the
· cultivation of vineyards on a large scale thereon, and the fabrication of wine, a
most safe and remunerative mode of employing. capital in this Colony; for. in
no part of Australia, and I may add, ·in no part of Europe, visited by. me,
have I ever seen such very heavy crops of grapes in proportion to the bearing
·Wood, as I have noticed in some of the gardens on the Mun·ay and Broken
River, and especially at Tallygaroopna, on the Goulburn.
Alluvial lands.
The alluvial lands liable to flood, comprised within the bergs of the
.Murray, consist of fluviatile sands and clays, sparingly intermixed with
vegetable soil, and heav.ily wooded with large blue gum (Eucalyptus Globulus ).
Between Albury and the Ovens, these flooded lands are intersected in every"
direction by long and tortuous lagoons, resulting from the alterations that have
from time to time occurred in the course of the iiver. The alluvial lands of
the Murray do not possess that exuberant richness of soil noticeable on the
alluvial brush lands of the rivers on the eastern coast of Australia, and I think
this difference is caused by the very rank and luxuriant vegetation of the
brush lands of the eastern coast, in which numerous plants abound whose
nature is such as to derive from the atmosphere a very much greater proportionate quantity of· carbon than the 'vegetation of the flooded lands
bordering on the Murray; therefore such plants, by their decomposition, tend
,to increase the richness-of the soil from whence they originally spring, or else·
,to augment the depth of the vegetable deposit.
·
A large proportion of the agricultural produce of New South Wales is.
raised on cleared brush land liable to occasional floods. Maize and tobacco
grow peculiarly well on land of this description; but I beli~ve, on account of the
facts just stated, that these exhausting crops could not be successfully cultivated
on the alluvial lands of the l\1nrray, unless on those sites where more than
ordinary accumulations of vegetable soil have been fo:rmed.
SitesofTownships.
The eligibility of the position of townships on the Murray above the
junction of the Ovens is dependent not only on non-liability to floo,d, easy
.access to water, and other obvious desiderata, but also on therelative facility
with which lines of. communication can be established therefrom to the grazing
districts. of the Billebong and Murrumbidgee, and the gold districts. near
Beechworth.
Land available Cor
cultivation
on this
partofthe Murray
5
On considerations of this nature, I venture to state that in my humble
opinion Albury does not occupy the most eligible site that might have been
chosen for the principal border town, as the flat on wliich it stands can hardly
be said to be altogether beyond the reach of the highest river floods, and the
nature of its surface renders it exceedingly miry after heavy rain. The grazing
districts are also more accessible from other sites below Alhnry.
Belvoir, the township in this Colony opposite Albury, is situated too far
back from the margin of the Murray (in consequence of the wide extent ·of
flooded lands and lagoons on the Victorian side opposite Albury) to rival the
latter town ; in fact, the occurrence of a bank beyond the reach of flood, near
the margin of one side of the stream, is attended with the inevitable
concomitant of a flooded flat on the opposite side, so as to preclude the
advantageous establishment of townships directly opposite to each other in the
two colonies.
In my progress down the New South 'Vales side of the Murray I
inspected a new township laid out at Howlong, and an extensive tract of
country about to be offered for sale in farms of moderate size.
Howlong is a most excellent site for a township, being contiguous to a
very fine plain, clear of timber, and an open box forest of the best description,
backed by granitic ranges.
On the Victorian side of the Murray, I am inclined to think that the
best site for a township, between Belvoir and. the Ovens, would be found at or
adjacent to Mr. Ford's homestead at Wagunyah, as that locality possesses the
following advantages:1st. s.ound fertile ground, above the reach of flood, y~t very near the
nver.
2nd. A width between the opposite bergs very much less than the
average width, and therefore favorable as regards the establishment
of a crossing place.
3rd. A position about equidistant from the established towns of Albury,
W angaratta, and Beech worth. .
4th. A line of communication with Beechworth, with less steep ascents
than those which occur .on the mail track from Albury to Beechworth.
5th. A g9od line of communication with Wangaratta.
The land contiguous to the Ovens, from Wangaratta to the confluence, The country ~ear the·
consists of the fertile tertiary soil already described.
Ovens.
On the range which forms the ·watershed between the Ovens and the
Broken River, and which range consists of a rather coarse granite, similar to
that of the ranges along the southern portion of the basin of the Broken River,
I noticed at one point a fine close-grained flesh-colored granite, probably
appertaining to a vein to be referred to a different period to that of the protrusion of the ordinary granite of this range.
Near the confluence of the Ovens a!ld Murray there is a large stationPeechelba, connected with several: out stations, embracing altogether an area of
126,483 acres, and reported to hold 8822 sheep, 100 head of cattle, and 163
horses.
Between the Murray aml Broken Creek (which is a long but ill-defined Tractofconntryconlanabranch connecting the Broken River with the Reed Beds of the MuTI'ay prised between the.. tract
. 011! low level country, woode d by the' Murray,
Ovens, Goulbnrn,
. ) t ]1ere IS
. an extensive
near M?ITa
and Brobox variety of Eucalyptus, with an occasional appearance of Banksia, Callitris ken Creek.
Pyramidalis, Casuarina Torulosa, Casuarina Paludosa, Exocarpus Cupressiformis, and some of the Acacia tribe. The western portion of this level forest
country is, however, diversified by many open grassy plains varying in extent
from about one hundred acres to several thousands of acres. Some of these
plains are very beautiful, their irregular but well-defined margins being fringed
by the graceful Callitris and Casuarina.
A ~dense underwood pervades much of the box forest, and I may here
6
remark that the forest land generally, both on the New South vVales and
Victorian sides of. the :Murray, is rapidly~ deteriorating as regards its grazing
capabilities, owing to the great increase of scrub and underwood consequent on
the partial cessation of the bush fires which formerly checked their growth.
Its geological chnracThe country extending back from the Murray to the Broken Creek is
ter.
connected with the recent tertiary deposit already described. The red soil near
the river bergs is, however, more frequently arenaceous than was observable
above the junction of the Ovens.
At a distance of a few miles south of the Murray, the absence of natural
drainage channels creates an excessively boggy state of the surface over a wide
extent of country during the winter months.
In. the lower. part of the Broken Creek I found the hollows of this
ill-defined channel of drainage quite dry, their beds consisting of quartzose
sand in~ermixed with black veg·etable matter.
·
The level country between the Murray and the Broken Creek seemed
to :me to aisplay in some places indices of comparatively modern fluviatile
drifts, at a level much above that of the highest floods that have occurred
since the discovery of the Murray River.
·
On the surface of an open plain near the Broken'Creek, and at an elevation
apparently many feet above that of the highest flood mark of that anabranch
near this plain, I noticed a. great variety of waterworn fragments of quartz,
quartzose schist, slate, &c., the dimensions of which fragments were occasionally as great as. a cubic inch, and which must have been brought down
from ranges very far from the plain where found. The Mutray, subsequently
to the rise of the submarine bed of the large estuary corresponding to the
tertiary deposits of the upper portion of the basin of that river, must };lave
commenced. lo cut, and gradually deepen, a channel through them ; and th<.t
this deepening process has been until recently in. operation is very probable,
on account of the signs just alluded to of ancient river floods comparatively
much higher than any known to have occurred since the occupation of the
Upheaval of the ter- M urray River country by Europeans.
But, as the. average. elevation of the
tiary beds.
surface of the lVIurray near the confluence of the Goulburn IS about 290 feet
above the level of the sea, and its elevation at .Albury (roughly estimated from
its apparent average velocity) at least 100 feet higher, the apparent denudation
in the bed of the Murray River since the upheaval of the marine deposits to
this elevation is not great. "Whether this upheaval has occurred at some
modern period, or is indeed still slowly and imperceptibly going on, is ·a
question that further enquiry must solve.
.
Stations on the MurThe stations on the MmTay, between the junction of the Ovens and
ray,
the th a t of th e ,Gou lb urn, are as 10
~ 11ows .
·ovensbetween
and Goulburn.
STOCK.
Area in
Acres •.
Name.
Sheep.
Cattle.
Horses.
...
3300
3000
2540
2000
200
1450
140
22
1---·----,
Yarrri:~onga •
.
.
.
.
Cobram • •
Ulupna
Yielima
Upper l\foira •
Lower 1\ioira •
M~dity
of level por- ·
tlOns of the country on the Murray. natura
l20528
120369
48881
...
...
120000
119232
9400
2510
...
...
5
50
6
12
The soil contiguous to the river bero-s, and also on the open plains, is
0
11y 1erti
~ "I e on tlns
· portiOn
·
of ~h e M urray R'n:e~ count ry ; b. n t , as there
are no mountain ranges to attract ram clouds, the and1ty of the chmate of the
Murray below the confluence of the Ov~ns is very much greater than near
Albury, where copious rains often occur at periods when the country about
Cobram is unrefreshed by a single shower. Instances of this occurred even_
7
during my short visit to the Murray. Potatoes, which grow well at Albury,
do not succeed at Cobram and Yarrawonga. Some kinds of vegetables attain,
however, a large size, as will be evident from the following ·statement of the
weights of some melons and caBbages grown by a resident on the Murray : Melons (Rock Cantaleupe ), 15 lbs.
A preserving melon, 28 lbs.
Cabbages (mean weight of some of the largest specimens), .17 lbs. eac~.
The badly drained levels of the back country and the want of water m Future resources or
· utter1y unsmte
· d for
' agriCU
· 1tura1 pursmts,
· a1t houg11 auor
tr d ·
this portion of the
summer ren der It
mg Murray.
very good fattening pasturage for stock. ·
On the whole, therefore, I am of opinion, that under the existing
<Circumstances of the Colony, it would be to the public .advantage that the
portion of the Murray River country between the Ovens and the Goulburn
should remain as a grazing district; yet, if at some future period in the history
of the Colony of Victoria, a very greatly augmented resident population on the
Murray should ever render the cultivation of the soil on its banks a paramount
branch of industry, much of the land on the banks of that portion of the
Murray just alluded to might be made, with the aid of i1-rigation, to yield
certain and abundant crops of the ordinary cereals and leguminous plants, and
also display vineyards, olive groves, and orange orchards.
The lands available for cultivation along the bergs of the Murray being Irrigation.
of very uniform and moderate elevation above·the river, and only a. very few
feet above the highest floods, I think that whenever a series of contiguous
farms shall be established along the banks, the water required for irrigation
could be economically supplied to each farm by means of a flat- bottomed
vessel, transportable to different parts of the river, and provided with pumping
engines and flexible hose· of adequate power and dimensions to deliver to the
farms from the nearest points in the stream the supply of water required by
each for distribution over the cultivated lands.
The absence of water during the summer months, in the back country, Artificial water-holes.
causes much fine pasture land to be understocked, and the temporary abandonment for part of the year of many out-stations. These disadvantages
might be considerably mitigated by deepening some of the existing hollows
and rendering them impervious.
This could be easily effected as clay is
generally attainable at no great depth in the tertiary beds, and lime is also
procurable. By lining the bottom and sides of a hollow with a layer of wellworked clay, one foot deep, covering the la-yer of clay with a layer of quicklime one-inch thick, and finishing with rough pitching, or only a coating of
quartzose gravel, it would remain water-tight.
In beds of ponds thus constructed in Great Britain, the lime has been
found to exercise an important influence on the subjacent bed of clay, preventing
its perforation by insects, &c. Mr. Brough Smyth's experiments on evaporation having convinced me that my original estimate of 5 feet 6~ inches for
the annual evaporation from pond water near Melbourne is likely to be a
tolerably fair average rate for ordinary years, I think in the hotter climate of
the Murray the evaporation from still water would be six feet. It would
therefore be advantageous that any artificial water-holes constructed in the
Murray River District for the use of stations should be formed of a narrow
oblong shape, so as to admit of being partly covered in by charred logs, brushwood fascines, and a top-coating of earth.
·
The site extending from the junction of the Ovens to a point on the Site for Townships.
Murray two or three miles below it, is a good site for a town reserve, the
forest being open and fertile, the bergs high close to the m;;trgin of the stream,
and the communication with \Varigaratta very easy along a sound track, on
which only one steep crossing occurs throughout its whole length.
A short distance above Y arrawonga, a punt has been established by
which the settlers on the right bank ofthe Murray, and als9 at the Billebong
country cross over into Victoria, and travel to Melbourne via Benalla. The
8
settlers at the Billebong and Yanko Creek could, ·however, reach the capital of
Victoria by a much shorter route if a crossing place were established at some
favorable site either near Cobram or Ulupna, as an easy and nearly straight
line of communication could be foi·med froni this part of the Murray, either
to Stapleton on the Goulburn, or to Avenel on Hughes' Creek.
·
The country adjacent
In ascending the Goulburn from its junction with the Murray, extensive
to the Gonlburn. well grassed plains are succeeded by box forest often scrubby, but interspersed
with small clear plains covered with kangaroo grass. Above Murchison an
undulating tract of forest country commences, which improves c~nsiderably
after crossing the range south of the Deegay Ponds.
.
Its geology.
In the immediate vicinity of the Goulburn, the tertiary deposits extend
up to Murchison. · Quartzose schists soon after occur; and, on approachingSeymour, basalt is seen adjacent to sl~ty flagstone, which is altered at its conta<?twith the basalt into a hard flinty rock. This slaty flagstone would afford a.
tolerable building stone with a good bedding, and also slabs for paving.
The bed of the Goulburn from. its -confluence ·with the Murray up to·
Murchison is narrow and deep; its banks display similar tertiary clays and
sandstones to those already described on the Murray. Near the Mitchell's.
'rown Reserve the river bed is wider; and ledges of schist and sandstone often_
appear therein. Shoals .of quartzose gravel and shingle occur near Seymour.
Country bounded by
Eastward of M mchison I passed -over the ranges of quartzose schist:
~~ GP~!:Jsr:·J!:= which constitute part of the Goulburn gold diggings. ·These ranges, which are
paspo,.andMurray. covered with scrubby box forest, maintain the same geological aspect for many
miles north of the existing diggings. On emerging from the forest the surface·
of the country in the vicinity of the Corinella Creek is diversified by some
very extensive open plains, generally well grassed, ·and intersected by narrow
strips of box forest. The· Corinella Creek terminates in a fine lake, and a few
miles farther north I passed two other lakes, in the vicinity of which and
porth-west thereof are some beautiful open downs covered with kangaroo grass,
and displaying on their surfaces that remarkable resemblance to ridges of
ploughed land which has been noticed on rolling downs in some other parts of
·
'
Australia.
The view from these open uplands was very pleasing. East and south
of the extensive grassy plains the outline of the box forest, rendered dimly blue
·by distance, was. backed by far off isolated mountain summits, whose connecting
:chains of hills were below the visible horizon. rro the south~w:est to;.w_e~
Mount Camel, from whence extended in a northerly direction a beautifully
undulating granitic range, whose grassy declivities were so diversified by clumps
of woodland, isolated trees, and unwooded slopes as to present a perfectly parklike aspect. In the front the silvery expanse of the n{larest lake was broken by
large flocks of swans, pelicans, and other aquatic birds, whilst through the
intervening belts of trees the waters of Lake Cooper could be occasionally seen
glittering in the distance.
.
·
Brown hematite -is found on the surface of some of the downs, and exposed
nodules 'of limestone on. surface of part of the plains. Quartzose schist
occasionally appears, accompanied with a better soil than is ordinarily seen in
juxtaposition with this rock.
.
After crossing the Dividing Range between the Gorinella Creek and the
Campaspe, the recent tertiary formation is re-entered, and it then extends
down the Campaspe to Echuca. From Rochester to Echuca the Catnpagpe
meanders through a series' of very level ~pen plains, which must in winter be
very wet· and boggy in many places.
.
..
·~
At
Echuca
I
found
near
the
margm
of
the
Murray
some
foss1hzed
.
•
•
R ecent f rosh•wa.vr
fossil shells.
impressions of freshwater shells closely resemblmg the Umo, or common freshwater mussel, and which are probably attributable to the action of springs
charged with ferruginous and earthy matter which issue from the escarped bapks
above the pipe clay. Mr. Mayes, the Railway Surveyor stationed at Ech.uca,.
pointed outto me near the confluence of the Campaspe some fossil wood.
9
The information afforded to me by the residents in the neighbouring
townships of Echuca and Moama relative to agricultural_productions, was less
unfavorable as regards the ill effects of the dry summers on the crops of this
part of the Murray, than that obtained from the squatters.
Having now submitted to you my humble opinions in reference to the
geology, soil, and resources, either existing or prospective, of the country
near the Murray from Albury down to Echuca, I next beg to offer the following observations in reference to the establishment of lines of communication
to render this portion of the Colony more accessible.
It is not necessary for me to discuss the paramount advantages that Proposed railway to
would accrue to this Colony on the completion of a railway connecting Mel- ~~~~ea, vu> Samlbourne with Echuca, as I am aware, Sir, that you have been, ever since the
earliest proceedings in reference to· colonial railways, so fuUy impressed with
the favorable geographical position of Echuca for the terminus of a railway to
the Murray as to have personally reconnoitred the basin of the Campaspe
River, in order to decide on the general direction to be adopted for this line.
If, therefore, I state my belief that the construction of this railway will render
Echuca the imtrepot for all the surrounding· grazing districts, and cause it to
become rapidly ohe of the largest inland towns of Australia; that it will beneficially affect even the most remote of the interior districts of New South Wales,
and also tend to. create a very great reduction in the price of· food to the
consumers at the Mount Alexander gold fields and even Melbourne; and lastly,
induce-the settlement of an agricultural community on part of the Murray,
I only do so in order to shew cause for the opinion I now venture to express, Navigation of the.
that the navigation of the Murray River above Echuca will ultimately be an ~g~:fm~~rr~~o ~~
oqject of very much greater importance to this Colony than to New South Victoriath~ntothc
Wales or Sm~th Australia.
other colomcs.
For, on completion of the railway, stores conveyed by rail to Echuca
and by water to the various stations and townships up the Murray, could
be delivered at rates that would utterly preclude the ports of South Australia
from competing· with Melbourne for the traffic of the Murray Districts above
Echuca, especially as the delivery of stores, &c., thus obtained from Melbourne,
would not be liable to that uncertainty as regards the probable period of such
delivery, which can hardly be obviated in the transmission of stores from South
Australia to the Upper Murray. I may further state incidentally, that even if
the construction of this very important railway were not in contemplation, it
would be quite possible for Melbourne to obtain a fair share of the river traffic
of the interior, by the expenditure of about £4000 on the Goulbmn below the
Mitchell's Town Reserve, and the improvement of the road from Kilmore to
that reserve.
I found the Murray, on a section taken above the punt at Albury, on Discharge of tile
8th March, to possess a sectional area of 1060 square feet, and a discharge of .tt.t-C
~;~~~ay
on Sth
1,
1856, nt
660,400 gallons per minute; the width was 167 feet.
Albury.
At a distance of~ few chains below the punt there is a shoal of quartzose Impediments to t11e
gravel, admitting of the passage of the Murray by bullock drays on the day navigation.
when the section was taken. I found I could ride through the Murray across
several similar shoals between Albury and the Ovens ; the lowest crossed by me
was near Brown's station, on theNew South Wales side, a short distance above
the confluence of the Ovens, which is about 108· miles by water from Albury.
Ledges of rock consisting either of soft shale, sandstone, or soft ferruginous quartzose conglomerate occur near Howlong, W agunyah, Macrae' s Punt,
Oobram, and Moama. I, however, quite concur with the opinion expressed in
a letter to me by Captain Cadell, that these shoals and ledges of rock present
no obstruction to vessels of the light draught employed by the Murray Riv.er
Navigation Company, and that the snags constitute the main obstacles to the
successful navigation of the Murray.
.
At some of the bends of the river, I noticed great accumulations of
10
snags and driftwood almost entirely blocking up the channel, and I therefore
cannot sufficiently express my admiration of the energetic resolution which
rn:ust have been displayed by Captain Cadell .in effecting the first a~cent of the
Upper MmTay, at a period when the low state ofthe river must have exposed
the Lady Augusta steam tug. to continual risk of ·destruction from the huge
logs and projecting snags that bristled up in all parts of the stream.
·
The navigation of the Mm·ray from the Ovens to the confluence of the
~oulburn, which is 274. miles by water from Albury, is very much less
Impeded by snags than from Albury to the Ovens.
·.
.
The
ranabranches
Tuppal's Creek, the first of the series of anabranches which diverge from
~:J.~~gRi!!;. Ed· the main stream to form the Edwa)."d's River, does not abstract water from the
Mm·ray except during th~ freshets. The Gulpha· Creek or chief feeder of the
Edward's River, was abstracting from the Murray on March 21st a small
quantity of water;. its width near point of departure from the Murray was 110
feet, and greatest depth 12-! feet.
'Vhenever the Murray is a little lower than it was found to be when the
Gulpha Creek was examined, no water would be conveyed away by the latter,
but in time of flood the Gulpha affords an outlet for an immense volume of
the surcharged waters of the Murray. From the Gulpha to a~ point a few miles
Rood Beds.
below Lake Moira, the M urray meanders through re~d beds, and its channel is
very free from snags. ..When the wooded flats recommence, the reaches of the
river still continue unobstructed by any large accumulations of snag~ as far
down as Echuca.
.
Impediments ~ tJJ.e ·
Having written to inform Captain Cad ell that the short time I could
1
~~~~~~on e ow devote to the reconnoissance of the Murray would not admit of my proceeding
to the South Australian Boundary, he has kindly favored me with a description
of two portions of the bed of the Murray, where impediments to the navigation
· occur between Echuca and the South Australian Boundary.
.
·
The first of these portions begins a little below Gunnewarra (about fifty
miles below Echuca), where ~he river is divided· by an island and .is then
sinuou~ and much impeded with timber until within fifteen miles of Swan Hill,
where reed beds of vast extent commence, and the navigation becomes pleasant
·
and safe.
The second bad portion commences about seventeen miles below Swan
Hill, on th~ lower part of the Tyntyndon Run, where the .reed ·beds terminate·
and the ri.ver becomes dangerous and narrow to its junction with the 'Vakool,
which is here so broad as to present the appearance rather of a recipient of the
Murray than of an affluent to it.
Suni granted by the
The Murray River· Navigation Company has received from the New
~~~c!::~~.wai~ South Wales Government £2000, of which £1000 is to be devoted to the
wards t~e clearing improvement of the Mnrrumbidgee, and the other £1000 to the Murray.
of the nvcr.
. Captam
. Cadell IS
. expend"mg t h"IS small sum m
. ernp1oymg
• t wo clearmg
. parties,
.
one of which was visited by me near Barnawat~a, and the other near vVagunyah,
Presentmodeofclear- and which parties were engaged in cutting down flush with the water surface
ing.
those snags that projected above the water in the inain channel; the men
working with axes, frort1 boats and rafts of pine.
The small amount of funds thus placed at the disposal of Captain Cadell
for the river improvements, must, of course, have prevented him from devoting
any portion of those funds to the purchase of the working plant and gea:r
requisite for sawing the snags under water, &c., so that the present process ot
clearing, although un,dou btedly of some benefit, is ·yef liable to some objection;
for, by th1ts cutting d(Jwn the snags to the water surface, any boat steered in ·
ignorance of the channel and running· against one of these truncated snags
when covered with less water than the draught of the boat, would receive much
greater ii~jury than if it encountered an ordinary uncut branching snag.
·The thorough clearance from snags of the bed of the Murray throughout its total width, ai1d the felling and removal of all" overhanging trees on the
11
:banks would prove a very costly operation, and the advantages derivable from
csuch a complete removal of the river obstructions would be not adequate to the
expenditure.
.
In order, however, to effect such .a clearance of the main channel from
.
Albury to Echuca as should render its navigation perfectly safe and easy for
such vessels as are employed by the Murray River Navigation. Company, I
think that if in addition to the £1000 already granted by the New South
Wales Government, £2000 more should be judiciously expended, a very
important improvement in the navigation would result therefrom.
I therefore beg respectfully to recommend that, as the future interest of su;nrecof!=cndc~foE'
C
I
· tot he proposed rm'l way to t he Murray
· ) Wl'11 be greater m
· 1mprovmg
nav1g11.
th IS o ony ( owmg
tion.
the navigation of the Upper Murray than those of either of the adjacent
colonies, a sum of £2000 be granted for the improvement of that portion of
the river comprised between Albury and Echuca, and £500 for that extending
from Echuca to the junction of the W akool.
The dimensions of the steamers. of fifty horse powel' to be employed by
the Murray River Steam Navigation Company, are as follows·:Length over all. . . . . . . . . . . . 130 feet
6 ,
Depth of hold . . . . . . . . . . . .
Draught when light . . . . . . . .
1 ft. 6! in.
Ditto
loaded . . . . . .
2 ft. 9 in.
The barges are 120 ft. by 14ft. 6 i'n.
During my cursory visit to the Murray I could not but remark how Improvcmentofcxistvery much the road communications of the interior might be bettered .at slight ing ~a~~hin
Mth~
0
-cost by forming short detached plank ways across those limited portions of ;~;~
c :ur
soft boggy ground which occasionally occur on the main track to Sydney, and
other tracks near Ben!,llla, &c.; for the tracks in the country of the Murray
and near its chief tributaries often keep sound and good for many miles, and
then cross over a few hundred feet of soft ground, when the sound ground is
re-entered, and so on.
Teams employed in transporting goods along tracks of this nature have
to be loaded in winter excessively light in reference to their power of draught
on the sound portions of the tracks, in order that they might be able to get
through the short boggy flats that occur at intervals. Yet, if those bad places Advantage of plankwere formed, and p~anked ways l¥d down, they would· no loriger impose a ed wayfi11t across
strain on the draught animals, but prove a great relief to them, when loaded, swampy s.
commensurate with their. power of draught on the sound track, as a horse can
actually draw two and a half times as heavy a load on a level planked way
as on a level macad·amized road.
The"mode of constructing such a plank way across a swampy flat might
be as follows :-First, cut deep roadside drains, and throw up earth resulting·
therefrorn to raise the proposed road surfu.ce, forming culverts where necessary,
and drains in continuation towards the outfall. Lay on their flat sides, in
trenches cut to receive them, two rows of longitudinal sleepers about 3k feet
apart in the clear, each sleeper being of an uniform length of about 16 feet
by 12 inches and 4 inches, and obtained from any sound variety of Eucalyptus.
They should be of course so laid that the joint between two sleepers on one
side should be opposite to the middle of a sleeper on the opposite side. Fasten
down on these longitudinal sleepers, with six inch spikes, seasoned gum planks
eight feet long· and three inches thick, taking care to pack the earth well under
them as they are laid. Next spread over the planking a layer of sand, about
one inch· thick and the planked way is ready for use. The earthen roadway,
outside of the planking, would have to be well-formed, so that when two
vehicles coming in opposite directions, meet on the planked way, one of them
could easily turn off on to the em·then roadway, and regain t.he planked way
after the vehicles had passed each other.
12
The cost of such a planked way, inclusive of that of the formation and ·
drainage of the earthen roadway, would not, I think, exceed at present, if near.
well-timbered Crown Lands, the rate of £2000 per mile; and the annual cost
of its maintenance would not, I think, be more for the first seven years than
one per cent. per mile on the original cost.
.
In one of the reports of the Board of Public Works in Canada, it is
shewn that in that country the cost of one mile of macadamized road would
form nearly four miles of planked way; arid that on one -road the substitution
of plank for metalling caused a saving equivalent to the replanking of the road
every three years-an operation of course not required so often as that, as the
duration of planked roads, in An:ierica, under heavy traffic, is at least eight
years. In Australia, seasoned gum plank would be found more durable than
the pine and hemlock plank of the United States.·
'l'im?crof't.he~urray
In the basin of ·the Murray River, the Eucalyptus Globulus of the
Rmr DJstnct.
extensive alluvial flats bordering on the Murray, Ovens, Goulburn, &c., would
yield plank of the best description; and I may mention that saw mills are
about to be established at 'Vangaratta, and also at Echuca.
.
The box of the .interior is generally unsound at the heart, if of large
size ; it would, although available. when gum might not be' close at hand, not
furnish such good plank as the gum, and be quite as liable to longitudinal as
well as lateral contraction.
A large tree resembling Box, very common in the Murray District,
and there called Apple Tree, although totally different from the Angophora
Lanceolata or Apple Tree of the Sydney Colony, furnishes timber proved by
experience to be much less durable than the other varieties of Eucalyptus, and
its use in constructions ought therefore to be carefully avoided.
Ironbark .of good quality is obtainable on part of Futter's Ranges, near
the Ovens, and also on some of the ranges near Beechworth. Callitris Pyramidalis, or MmTay Pine, seldom attains a thickness of two feet, and its use as
a timber tree is necessarily restricted; its wood is light, durable, and liable to
very little contraction.
Black wood, which is, however; a rare tree in the basin of the Murray,
is. very durable, and its contraction small.
Relative summer disBefore concluding this Report I may mention that I measured the
chargesoftheMar· of t l1e nvers
.
£'.11
ray and its 'tri- d'1scharges
crosse d, but '1t 1e ,occurrence of a sl'1ght gener al· 1a
~~~t~r~~s at certain botl~1 in the Mu~-ray and all its tribut.aries during the. short period that elapsed
durmg the first and last of these measurements, precludes such measurements
from being placed in juxtaposition for comparison. l have tried to apply some
corrections to them for the estimated effects of such fall in the rivers, but the
results so corrected are necessarily vague and unsatisfactory, and I merely
submit them to you as. rude approximations to the probable relative. discharges of the streams on the day specified, 8th March.
.
Discharge of the Murray, at Albury, on 8th March, taken
as unity . .
. ..
..
..
..
I·OOO
.
Goulburn, at Seymour, corrected to same date
0·370
Ovens, at 'Vangaratta,
ditto
O·l 00
Campaspe, at Rochester,
ditto
0·007
Broken River, at Benalla,
ditto
. 0·003
In proportion to the areas of drainage above the points where the
measurements were taken, the summer discharge of the Goulburn ranks very
high, and that of t~e Campaspe very low.
·
.
.
The difference in the nature of the flow of the two rivers IS due to the
very lofty densely WQoded range of mountains, abounding in unusu~lly copious
and permanent springs, and which separates the Goulburn from the Y arra
..
Yarra, and the streams flowing towards Gipps' Land.
On the occurrence of the rainy season, the discharge of the Campaspe
would of course increase in a much greater ratio than that of the Goulburn.
·
13
Trusting you will e:X:cuse me for submitting to you a Report which I
now feel, in concluding it, to be excessively long in proportion to the few
observations which so cursory a reconnoissfince enabled me to make on the
ground,
I have the honor to remain,
Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
CLEMENT HODGKINSON,
Surveyor for East Bourke, Evelyn, &c.,
Vice-President of the Philosophical Institute
of Victoria.
'fhe Honorable the Surveyor General,
&c.,
&c.,
&c.
'
'
By Authol'ity: Jon::; FI1JlBEs, Goverment Printer, Mebourne.