oing to Australia say
that the region around Mount Kosciusco is quite Alpine in character, as
it has deep gorges and ravines, and the streams plunge for long
distances over precipitous rocks. The Murray River takes its rise among
these mountains, and a great contrast is offered between the country
around its head waters and that through which it flows in the latter
part of its course. The country is too rough around these mountains for
sheep and cattle stations. There is a considerable amount of tillable
land among them, which is principally devoted to the growing of oats
and wheat.

At their appointed time, our friends proceeded by train in the direction
of Sydney. They found the railway running for much of the way through a
mountainous region, some of it very mountainous indeed. The railway
engineering on many parts of the route evoked their admiration, and
certainly it deserves a great deal of praise. There are numerous tunnels
on the way, gorges and ravines are traversed by bridges high up in the
air, and nowhere in the world can be found better examples of
engineering skill in mountain work. A gentleman who was in the carriage
with them said they would find equally good work on the western line of
railway, the one on which they were traveling being the southern.

"The range of mountains that winds around the whole coast of Australia,"
said the gentleman, "has made our railways cost us very dearly. To go
any distance at all into the interior, we had to traverse the mountains,
and for a long time it was believed that it would be absolutely
impossible to get through them. The first railway line in New South
Wales was surveyed about 1847, and ground for it was broken in July,
1850. The obstacles which the Blue Mountains presented retarded the work
very much, but finally, after they were passed, we got along well
enough. You will see for yourself how difficult they were."

"From what we had already seen," wrote Harry, "we fully agreed with the
gentleman in his statement, and were not surprised to learn that the
engineers were considerably discouraged when they began their work.
After a pause, he described to us some of the interesting points of the
western line, as it is called, and said he hoped we would be able to
make a journey over that part of the railway system of New South Wales.
He assured us that we would never regret it, and that we would see some
of the most magnificent sights to be obtained anywhere in rai