IN NORTHERN TERRITORY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 238, 6 April 1912, Page 2 (Supplement)

IN NORTHERN TERRITORY

" MAGNIFICENT COUNTRY FOR SETTLEMENT." The Barclay exploratory expedition passed acrqss land in the Northern Territory, which Mr. R. H. Mcpherson, second in command, declared is magnificent country for settlement. The climate he describes as perfect, with regular and bountiful rains. Rich grasses abound, and though wide undulations at parts characterise the country, providing lovely panoramas, it consists mostly of plains, so flat that a comprehensive running of levels would ibe required to determine the natural fall. Mr. McPherson has returned after 14 months' travelling in Central and Northern Australia. The expedition was despatched to select sites j for new wells on the stock routes, t# report upon the territory along the 132 nd meridian, and to see whether a port can be readily made in the Gulf of Carpentaria for the eastern tableland. It is this part which >Mr. MePherson considers assured of a great future as sheep and cattle country. The expedition passed within sight of 6,000,000 acres of green meadow land.

SEEKING A PORT. "There is no scrub," says Mr. IJcPheison, '"such as that in which sheep have been lost on the southern ranges. All this eastern tableland should be settled with sheep. The tableland is readied 60 miles from Borraloola, a little township 40 miles up the navigable McArtuur river. For these lands it is .necessary, of course, to have a port on the gulf, since the produce cannot 'be carried overland to Darwin. Room for 100,00® men? I should say that is a low estimate. The Borraloola police have shown that the land is capable of growing excellent Indian wheat, but whether this will 'be a payable enterprise remains to be seen. Captain Barclay, with a small staff, has remained in the locality to spy out the port prospects and the possibilities of connecting the port with the tableland by railway."

I Speaking generally of the expedition, [ Mr. McPherson stated that sites had been selected for eight wells on the stock route (between the Yellow Waterhole and Anthony's Lagoon. These would be about 30 miles distant, and would provide good water. "I left Borraloola on November 18," he continued, "in charge of the return party, and here we are just back in March." '' It is no country for caanels. A camel is pig-ehaded enough to eat anything. It takes the poisonouse iromvood and gutta-percha leaves, and the result may be imagined from the fact that two leaves of ironwood would kill a horse. "We had 21 camels when we left. They had to be tied to the trees during the night and shepherded by a boy during the day to keep them from the poisonous vegetation, and they became very sulky in consequence. Dr. Woolnough said we would never get a camel back to Adelaide. Then the rain came—it rained for 31 days at the McArthur-and one afternoon so busy were we packing and unpacking the bogged animals that we made only four miles or five miles in Jive hours. I was anxious lest I should lose all my camels, for that would have meant the loss of men, but we got through with the loss of thirteen. Camels do not really go far without water, unless the grasses are good The eastern country is magnificent until the Rankine river is reached. Of course, the inland 'rivers' are merely great dry creeks in summer.

1 c GREAT SHEEP COUNTRY, l "This sheep country extelids to the s Queensland border, and there- are some t fine stations—Anthony's Lagoon. Erun- . ette, Alexandra and others'; At Anthony's Lagoon, where the Exernal Aftairs Department is preparing to sink a sub-artesian ibore, 3000ft—18.000 cattle » were dipped last year for the tick. Water from such bores is good and clear rain ; water, and can be got easily in parts at about 300 ft._ After the Rankine the . territory is simply desert until the Sand-, over, and then the excellent stock country of the .McDonnell ranges is struck. We counted heads up there the other day the battery manager, lines- . man and myself—and we discovered that east of the telegraph line, within an area of 1200 square miles, the white numlber just 44. And only one white woman—at Aritunga. This total includes the five white men working on the Aritunga battery, and the five supplying minerals from the White Range, it is the (white population of 1200 miles of good stock country, and of all that rich mineral district of White Range, which is bound to become a big gold proposition some day. . "T here [ s Plenty of wild life-dingoes, macks—who are so nervous and harmless that they run away and hide when whites approach their shack camps—and iguanas,_ and at parts there are black duck, ibis, teal and bush turkeys. Duck was plentiful at Dalhousie Springs. They rose like (black clouds from the water quite a pleasant change in food while it lasted' We had no trouble whatever with the Macks; indeed, the Territory has ceased to he a place of adventure, it has all been covered now, and we have come to the time when exploration has ceased and development must begin. One Mnng we must avoid—concentration at Darwin The tableland round Darwin is not the Northern Territory." MINERAL PROPOSITIONS.

Mi\ McPherson has interesting mineral exhibits. 'The place wants waking up," he said. "There is onlv one working now at Winnecke's depot, and 10 at Arltunga. Men and (machinery will net the gold." b

The life of the overland telegraph official is regarded with exaggerated commiseration, apparently. It is a good life, much as settled life on the Territory tablelands will be good. The official's have horses, comfortable homes, wives and families, and the beauties of the bush, and they sigh when added salary means removal to dusty capitals, but they must be glad, if they have been as ill-used as Mr. Mcpherson, that they leave the flies behind. "The flies in the Territory," states the explorer, "are the wickedest things we have to face."