ABOUT AUSTRALIA.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9042, 29 January 1908, Page 3

ABOUT AUSTRALIA.

By W.B.

Like every other large colonial town, Sydney possesses, besides its large population employed in production, distribution and exhange, a vast number of the parasite class. The city contains too many loafers, jockeys, bookmakers, busted mummers of the theatrical kind, land and commission agents, agitators, spielers, thieves and drones. The suburbs of Sydney are worth having one look at, namely, Parramatta River, Manley, Coogee, Bondi, La Perouse, and the parks and gardens. The other parts I visited. I might point out that, to see all Australia, one would require to live 1,000 years and have a million pounds to spend. I "hung out" in Sydney fur about , three weeks, and visited all the surrounding villages. At Penrith I i met an old Masterton identity—the Rev. Jas. McKee and Mrs McKee. Mr McKee and I had a long chat about old times. The rev. gentleman looks as hearty and strong and robust as ever, and, I might add, carries considerably more adipose tissue than formerly. Mrs McKee is also looking very well. The rev. gentleman recounted many amusing Wairarapa anecdotes, including even the "Pukaka" incident. This little affair will be "ancient" to many of your readers, but to many will be as brand-new as the Masterton lake. Here is the veracious anecdote—"A partvof well-known Masterton and Upper Plain residents were one day, twenty or more years ago, out with dog and gun in pursuit of the nimble bunny; amongst the party was our old friend, the Rev. Jas. McKee. The party were spread across the paddock for fully a quarter of a mile, and to the surprise of everybody, two fine cock pheasants rose in front of Mr Me- ■ Kee. No sane man would lose such I an opportunity, and the Rev. McKee, although a*notoriously indifferent shot, excited the astonishment of everybody by dropping a bird with . each barrel. After duly bagging the brace of pheasants, it evidently dawned upon somebody that it was the close season for-imported game, but not for native," and on being congratulated upon securirg such a fine pair of birds, the. rev. gentleman innocently xemarked that he shot them by mistake, thinking they Were pukaka, and qualified still further by adding "that ye ken Mistress McKee i 3 very fond of pukaka." Mr McKee likes Australia very much, and says the warm climate just suits him. He asked me to remember him to all old Mastertcn friends. Could I have done it better? ■ The Blue Mountains are the summer resort of Sydney people. This range of so-called mountains are practically a broad tableland, extending along the coast line from.Gippsland in Victoria well up into Northern Queensland. These-mountains are so broad and easy of access that, in New Zealand, we would call them undulating country, and our Crown Lands Department would class them as broad plains. Here and there the y are broken by gorges such as those around Katoomba, and in the highest parts are a little over 4,000 feet above sea level, oi' about four hun- ' dred feet lower than the Tararua and Ruahine ranges. The principal mountain resorts are Mount Victoria and Katoomba; also, a number of people reside at Lawson on account of the short distance from Sydney. There is absolutely nothing to see at Lawson except blue gums and a few native flowers and a puny waterfall some miles away. Katoomba is slightly better, as it has a gorge many miles tang and fully a mile wide, and a trickling waterfall which descends about three hundred feet. Altera heavy rain, no doubt, there would be a considerable body of water flowing over, the fall. During the winter months there is a fairly thick ice on any water in this region, and, orly last winter, ii boy .ventured too far on the ice, close t'O the edge of the waterfall. The result was that he started sliding and went over the precipice, and was das had to pieces on the rocks below. A crowd soon gathered around the fall to see how it happened, and a girl went out on the ice to see where the boy had disappeared, with the result that she followed him and shared the same fate. Mount Victoria is the summer resort of the Sydney people, or really the Saturday and Sunday resort. About thirty-six miles from ' Mount Victoria, in a southerly direction, are situated the celebrated Jgnoian Caves— (J. E. Nolah caves, named after the man who discovered them). These caves are considered the best in the southern hemisphere. Coaches leave Mount Victoria for the caves every day. They only charge the modest fare of 30s return. I did not trouble any coaches in Australia, as I took my bike, one of J. C. Ewington's Rovers, along with me. The first three miles towards the caves is down the Victoria Pass, said to be the steepest portion of road in New South Wales. It certainly is steep; although J had double breaks on my - machine. I funked riding all the way down, and, I might say, that I had to get the india-rubber renewed on my brakes when I struck the next bike shop, which was at Bathurst. The balance of the road to the caves is undulating and first-class. At the caves there is a flash hotel owned by the Tourist Department, and it charges the modest half-sovereign per day, or 2s fid all round. About six miles nearer Mount Victoria there is another place Where they put up the sight-seer for the modest sum of 6s per day. In fact, every second house one meets has the word "accommodation" on it. The caves are simply superb. The large one is lit up with electricity, but one has to carry lamps in the smaller ones. A fairly large stream flows through them, and there are tracks cut out of the rock, about four feet wide, along its banks. Our Waitomo and Ruakuri cavelets are as nothing to Jenolan. The large cave alone willtake at least two hours to examine. In the smaller caves -the water looks dark and deep below. The stalectites and pillars are superb, and of enormous height and size. Of the caves no one can form any conception without seeing them. Every Saturday scores of Sydney men of all sorts and conditions take advantage o£ the , cheap rates, to wit, one penny a mile return, and train to Mount Victoria. (To be continued.)