EAST AND NORTH OF AUSTRALIA

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22510, 19 September 1938, Page 3

EAST AND NORTH OF AUSTRALIA

——4 ACCOUNT OP VOYAGE BY LADY LE FLEMING

WORLD TRAVELLER AT LYTTELTON

A passenger in the India-New Zealand steamer Narbada, which was at Lyttelton on Saturday, was Lady le Fleming, who spends most of her time travelling in almost all parts of the world. Lady le Fleming is bound for Dunedin, where she has a residence. “Yes, I have again stepped off for a brief breathing space in New Zealand before going on to Canada and returning to Mexico,” Lady le Fleming told a reporter. She had just made another trip through the Great Barrier Reef, and spoke enthusiastically about it. She said that New Zealanders and those living in the colder parts of Australia now bad the opportunity to escape the southern winters by travelling within the Great Barrier Reef—and further on if time and circumstances permitted. * (

LAD* LE FLEMING

“When travelling between the east coast of - Queensland and the Great, Barrier, every mile of the- way holds interest; geographical, historical, and spectacular,” said Lady le Fleming “with days and days of ever-changing and. inexhaustible interest.” She said that between the coast and . the 10° fathom line of the outer Barrier, there were really two, principal divisions; near the land an inner zone comparatively :'free. from coral, and .an. outer zone of ' innumerable' coral . reefs. Though this, continually _ parsed ndmerous^cbastal' vessels," as weli asahipsfronkmany distant,,lands i ‘ island*. at first singly, then in dozens, scores, and. hundreds. Home of Budgerigars ' 1 All ■ along this ; wonderful.. waterway the names of the different places passed recalled the history of the early navigators. When the ship entered Torres Strait, it was still surrounded, at varying distances, by a labyrinth of tropic islands, most of which were of volcanic formation-r-small fairy-like islands of a . few acres in extent—and larger islands measuring several square miles. These were the' original homes of the little budgerigars. ■ Ten of the most beautiful islands in the strait were native reserves where there'was an.unusual and:very successful' form of self-government. • The; wonderful work of the reef pilots, who conduct, the ships through: the Barrier passage and through . the ' strait, was mentioned by' Lady : le Fleming. In the Albany. Pass the land on both .sides was quite near. ; Here , there were numbers of lofty ’ termite hills' builti up .of .red earth land sand. ■ Some of the islands were tiny cays, just being built; up;. Others-wtefe lofty and rugged, inhabited at times by flocks, of gannets, boobies, frigate-birds, : cormorants and small white terns. All the rest of the way on through the Arafura sea, Flores sea, Java sea. Banka strait, Malacca strait, past ..the Nicobar and Andamans, through the Bay of Bengal, and up the HOoghly 'to Calcutta,- each island or group. of islands had a history of its own; - . Among, places; visited by Lady le while in India and Siam on her present tour were Benares, Delhi, Jaipur) Agra, Cawnpore, Allahabad, Darjeeling. Rangoon, and. Mandalay. Ports of call on the return voyage were Penang, Singapore, and Samarang Previously,: Lady le Fleming spent a considerable time: in travelling in Africa. After a short stay in Dunedin, she* will leave -lor Canada, later - going to Mexico,.;»nd will to India. ,