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Mallee - Part 2

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Sir,—The classification was carried out with the traverse as a base, but owing to the time lost through having to run the line through dense thickets, I was not able to devote as much time to it as I had hoped.
 
Sir,—The classification was carried out with the traverse as a base, but owing to the time lost through having to run the line through dense thickets, I was not able to devote as much time to it as I had hoped.
 
As I had to come a good way south to get a start from Location 364, the first 15 miles along the line was in very poor country, consisting of sand plain and open mallee with numerous salt lakes, which made a larger percentage of third class land than if I had started from Mt. Ridley and run east. I was advised in Esperance not to attempt to get through that way owing to the dense thickets and boggy lakes.
 
As I had to come a good way south to get a start from Location 364, the first 15 miles along the line was in very poor country, consisting of sand plain and open mallee with numerous salt lakes, which made a larger percentage of third class land than if I had started from Mt. Ridley and run east. I was advised in Esperance not to attempt to get through that way owing to the dense thickets and boggy lakes.
Again after passing Mt. Beaumont I was forced to turn south as I could find no water ahead. This brought me out of a fine run of good land into poor broken country, with sand plain on the south. Had I been able to run my line straight to Mt. Ragged, I feel sure that a much larger area of good land would have been located, but with the line where it is, I had practically nothing but third class land on one side.
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Again, after passing Mt. Beaumont I was forced to turn south as I could find no water ahead. This brought me out of a fine run of good land into poor broken country, with sand plain on the south. Had I been able to run my line straight to Mt. Ragged, I feel sure that a much larger area of good land would have been located, but with the line where it is, I had practically nothing but third class land on one side.
 
Altogether I classified 844,600 acres, of which 326,700 acres were first class, 125,800 acres were second class, and 392,100 acres were third class.
 
Altogether I classified 844,600 acres, of which 326,700 acres were first class, 125,800 acres were second class, and 392,100 acres were third class.
 
For the purpose of classification I have adopted the following grades: Land capable of growing eight bushels or less of wheat per acre, third class; from eight to 12 bushels, second class, and over 12 bushels first class.
 
For the purpose of classification I have adopted the following grades: Land capable of growing eight bushels or less of wheat per acre, third class; from eight to 12 bushels, second class, and over 12 bushels first class.

Revision as of 03:58:19, May 10, 2018

                                                                                                            127
                                                                                                  APPENDIX No. 6.
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                                             Report of Surveyor J. A. Hall to the District Surveyor, Perth, dated 16th January, 1914.
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Classification of the country between Mt. Ridley and Israelite Bay. Sir,—The classification was carried out with the traverse as a base, but owing to the time lost through having to run the line through dense thickets, I was not able to devote as much time to it as I had hoped. As I had to come a good way south to get a start from Location 364, the first 15 miles along the line was in very poor country, consisting of sand plain and open mallee with numerous salt lakes, which made a larger percentage of third class land than if I had started from Mt. Ridley and run east. I was advised in Esperance not to attempt to get through that way owing to the dense thickets and boggy lakes. Again, after passing Mt. Beaumont I was forced to turn south as I could find no water ahead. This brought me out of a fine run of good land into poor broken country, with sand plain on the south. Had I been able to run my line straight to Mt. Ragged, I feel sure that a much larger area of good land would have been located, but with the line where it is, I had practically nothing but third class land on one side. Altogether I classified 844,600 acres, of which 326,700 acres were first class, 125,800 acres were second class, and 392,100 acres were third class. For the purpose of classification I have adopted the following grades: Land capable of growing eight bushels or less of wheat per acre, third class; from eight to 12 bushels, second class, and over 12 bushels first class. There is a fair area of first class land in the vicinity of Kau Rock, but it is so much broken up with salt lakes that it would be difficult both to subdivide or cultivate. Around Mt. Ney there is a large area of very good land with occasional granite outcrops. This is timbered with small mallee and ti-tree in part and the remainder with large rough barked mallee, with patches of broom bush. The next run of good country is around Mt. Beaumont, and running away to the north-east. There is a fine stretch of it here, and it is certainly the best met with on the trip. Most of it is timbered with low mallee and dense prickly scrub, with broom bush running out from the rocks. The soil varies from light sandy loam to heavy clayey loam, but it all has a clay subsoil from six to eight inches under the surface. West of Mt. Ragged there is another area of good land, timbered with black ti-tree and very large mallee, some of the latter running up to 14 inches in diameter. The land here, although of good quality, I do not consider so suitable for cultivation, as it is of a very powdery nature, and similar to the morrell country in the eastern districts. With a heavy rainfall it would be all right, but with a light rainfall I consider it a bit doubtful. I did not continue the classification east of Mt. Ragged as it was all very poor, consisting of sand plain and broken limestone country with a thin coating of clay in places. Where known I have adopted the local or native names of places, but there were a number of places where I had to give tentative names of places, but there were a number of places where I had to give tentative names to avoid confusion in the field book. Where known I have shown both local and native names in the field book. JOHN A. HALL, Surveyor.