Flora Club Members Hear About Tasmania

Chronicle (Levin), 11 May 1949, Page 4

Flora Club Members Hear About Tasmania

. The LeTin.^aUve Flora Club reSbhf .y had the pieasure bt hearliig Miss •Ella Cafhpbe I, of Mdssby Cojiegb, "dbS'bribe expbribncbs ahd 'sightis bf d thrbe ' Webks' tour ih Tashi'ahia. MisS Campbeii dttbnded ^ sciehc'e b'dngte§§ at Hob&tt ih •January last, after- Which she joihed ia special toUrihg p'arty which qovdred mu:ch gfound by ait, rai dnd b-usj Visi ing typical fkreaJs o^ interest throughout-. For the most part very e'evated, Tasmania .has a central plateau 3000 feet high, with rugged peaks up to 5000 feet-. Gh the west, the surfacq is cu.t.by depp river gorges, that 'of the Kih'g Riv'er being 300; •feet dbep. Thbrb is a 'certsin amdunt 6f cbastal pl'ain in the nbrth. ^ikteen tb 20 per cbht. di the Whblb sUrfhbb bf Tdsinania is e rivbr systehi-, with fbrtiie land in thb valleys-, but in the southwes. some of ;he land is totaliy unex-

p ored; resembuhg our southern fiordland, with hbiayy -forest on,extremeiy mountainous country. The rainfa'l of Tasmania is similar tb that 8f thb Sbutn isiahd, beihg very heavy in the west (140 inches), while the pastern part, in ths rainshadow bf the hiountains, is from 20 tb 30 inbhes br lbss-. Settlbillent of Tashiania has been slow, partly because of ;he umitee area of fertile ground and partl-y because pf the distance from the mainiand" . markets. One great asset ife chbap and plentiful e ectrifeity. The coun.ry is especially interesting to naturalists, as so much of it is more or less in its riativb gtatp. Touris-'S ■ have been bater ed fbr iri sp.endid roads, which make many of the scenic places amazingly accessible. The Huon Valley is noted for its orchaids, where .app'es, pears and various small fruits are grown in abundance. The apples and pears 'are bxperted as they are, but the small frui.s are first pulped or made into jam in*Hobart. Up the pferwerit Valley are mbre pears ahd hbpfieids. Highet up the valley is \a na.tional park, where many of the indigenous p ants have close afflhity with New Zealand species. A beech, clogely . allied to the NeW Zealand bhfe, Noitivfagus menziesii, is given the confusing local name bf r'myttle." Mi§§ C'anibbel1. §.s a stranger, found it often very difficult to ascertain the correct name j bf species encountered, as they aT Iseemed vo be called by anomalous icommon names. l The journey lay next through farming land, where wheat and barley are gro.wn, them past the Rostrevor. ;..orchard, which is the largest app1^ orchard in the Southern Hemisbhere. Litcle Swanport is an apprQpriateiy named p.ace, j as lagobnsi ih the, river estugry 'provide sanctuary for numeroMS b'ack swa.ns. Farm pastures, noticed were unimprov.ed, the cost of fertiliseris frofn the mainland being prohibitive-. Wattle trees dotted ithe . pastures, . the. -bark. b'eihg collected and used for tanning. Good farming was found in the basalt couhtr^j Where tlifc b'arth is red and light. O her farihihg noticed was 'acres knd acres^ of gladioli, large vegetable farm^- in conjunction with dehydrating factories and 'a lavender .farm with its neighbouring soap factory." . A'luviaf tin mines with their sluices Were' seeh ih some places. A large area comple'e-y devoid of any vegeta.tion surtouhded the large copper-mining town ' of Queenstown, where the sulphur fumes killed all olant hfe and fires have removed all the top soil. Access to and egress from this inhospitable region is only possible over a s'eep ahd tortuous moun'tain road, and a rainfal1 of 140 inches adds to the ilst of "attractions" here. A further indus'try of this varied country is fiund at Burnie, where the eucalyptus fotest is reserved for the very successful manufacture of paper. It was of interest tp note that the blue gum grown in New Zealand' is a Tdsmanian one. Miss Gamobell illustrated her talk mainly with 7ahtern slides, and the coloiired views taken in the vicinity of Hobart and in tb orbhard districts were pardcularly pleasing. Some mapSs, herbariuih specimens ahd toufist folders illustrated other scenes and aspects; and the audience greatly enjoyed their "Trip to Tasmania," through the descriptions given by Miss CampbelL