it with cypresses
and acacias in full bloom, and a few trees in bright green foliage gave
additional beauty to the scene. In the centre of this charming valley
ran a strong and beautiful stream, its bright, transparent waters
dashing over a gravelly bottom, intermingled with large stones, forming
at short intervals considerable pools, in which the rays of the sun
were reflected with a brilliancy equal to that of the most polished
mirror. The banks were low and grassy, with a margin of gravel and
pebble-stones; there were marks of flood to the height of about twelve
feet, when the river would still be confined within its secondary banks,
and not overflow the rich lands that bordered it. Its usual width is 200
feet; in times of flood it would be from 600 to 800 feet."[32]

[32] See Oxley's Journals, pp. 184-7.

In Australia Felix, as it has been called by its discoverer, Major
Mitchell, which is a much larger district than that just described,
almost every earthly delight and advantage would likewise seem to have
combined to make it a perfect dwelling-place for man. The temperate and
mild climate; the neighbourhood of the sea; the variety and fertility of
its surface; the ranges of lofty and picturesque mountains by which it
is backed; the number of rivers, small and large, by which it is
watered; the comparatively open nature of the country, yet not without
an ample supply of timber close at hand; all these and other advantages
unite in rendering Australia Felix one of the most desirable spots upon
the face of the globe. And the beauties and blessings of a spot like
this, must have stood forth in bold contrast with the dreary, lifeless
plains of the Darling, or Lachlan, which the discoverers of Australia
Felix had so long been engaged in exploring. One of the first harbingers
of the better country, to which the travellers were drawing near, was a
very curious height, called Pyramid Hill, which is formed of granite,
and, being a triangular pyramid, standing quite alone, closely resembles
the monuments of ancient Egypt. It rises 300 feet above the surrounding
plain; its point consists of a single block of granite, and the view
over the neighbouring country was exceedingly beautiful. The scene was
different from anything the travellers had elsewhere witnessed. "A land
so inviting, and still without inhabitants![33] As I stood," continues
the explorer, warming with the thoughts of his discovery, "the first
European intrud