ns the country is more hilly and less available. There are,
nevertheless, isolated spots sufficiently large for the most comfortable
homesteads. From this point, a west-south-west course will soon lead the
traveller into the plains of Adelaide, and at less than 10 miles after
entering upon them, he will again find himself in the metropolis. Again
departing from it for the southern parts of the province, he will keep
the Mount Lofty range upon his left, and will really find some difficulty
in passing the numberless fences which now enclose the plains. The land
indeed in this line of road is more fenced than in any other direction, a
reason for this may be that the road runs nearer the base of the hills,
and the land is consequently better than that on the lower ground. Many
very excellent farms are to be found on the banks of the Sturt and the
Onkaparinga, on the latter of which the village of Noorlunga has been
established, at the point where the road crosses it. The Sturt has a
tortuous course, somewhat to the northward of west, and falls into the
gulf at Glenelg, after spreading over the flats behind the sand-hills at
that place. The direction of the road is parallel to that of the ranges,
or nearly south-south-west as far as the village of Noorlunga, when it
turns more to the eastward of south, for Willunga, which is 28 miles
distant from Adelaide. The banks of the Onkaparinga, above the crossing
place, are extremely inaccessible, insomuch that stock can hardly be
driven down to water for many miles above that point. The hills however
are rounded in form, grassy, and clear of trees, consequently well
adapted for grazing purposes. It was at Noorlunga, which is not more than
two miles from the gulf, and can be approached in boats, as high as the
bridge there, that Captain Barker first landed on the South Australian
shore. The country between it and Willunga is generally good, portions of
it are sandy and scrubby, but Morphett's Vale is a rich and extensive
piece of land, and I can well remember before it was settled seeing
several large stacks of hay that had been cut, as it then lay in a state
of nature. Willunga is close under the foot of the hills, which here,
trending to the south-south-west, meet the coast line extremity of the
Southern Aldinga plains. Close to this point is a hill, called Mount
Terrible, almost of a conical shape, over the very summit of this, in the
early stages of the colony, the road led to Encou