PORT DARWIN.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1367, 16 December 1872, Page 4

PORT DARWIN.

The following description of " Yam Creek," Port Darwin, is given by au old West Coaster from the Big Paddock, in a letter to a friend in HoVitika :— Leaving Port Darwin we picked up a bullock team belonging to Government, at LI per load. The first 20 miles of tbe country seems to be a low flat, of sandatone formation ; the next 10 miles are of granite, with small irregular ranges rising here and there, and slate the rest of the way to the reefs ; 10 miles beyond the ! reefs, in a southerly direction the granite crops up again. The reefs are situated six mileß to the east of the line of telegraph upon a low ridge of slate running north and south for about seven miles, when it terminates in a large plain at eit'ier end. When we arrived, there were about 40 men holding 30 leases of from 5 to 40 acres each, so that the ground is all occupied} and a great deal more than is likely to be of any value along the line. There seems to be no chance here, only for men with plenty of means to get horses and provisions, and go prospecting, and even that may prove a sta'e game. There may be reefs found here, but for alluvial gold, it is our opinion, as of every experienced man, that there will never be any found anywhere near the line of road we have traversed. The country is all a plain, and bare of «vash, you will' scarcely get more than two or three feet in any place, and, and the atones are just like road metal. Very little game is to be had, and as little fish, and the country is bare of vegetation. Forty of our passengers have all gone back. We will stay here a few days, and then intend to go 60 miles further on, where it is reported there has ' qeen a little alluvial gold got— a few colors to the dish : it is in a north-west direction from here. This is a horrid place for fleas, ants, and raosquitos, in fact theße pests make a perfect hell of what would otherwise be, at other times, a paradise. But when the rainy season Bets in, in two or three months, they say this country is a perfect terror They are at present getting six cwt. of stone to be sent to Melbourne by Omeo. It is said they were taken at random, but such is not the case, every, bit has been subjected to the microscope, and none sent but what gold can be seen in." .