/''( 
 
 '•> .; \ 
 
 4 
 
 r^ 
 
 ^ 7 
 
 fa
 
 ^//(f* 
 
 '4
 
 !i. . 
 
 MAF 
 
 wi 
 
 L'^';^ 
 
 Shov 
 
 Af icultural & I 
 
 and the Prodi 
 they are b 
 
 Scale ol 
 
 ■ Refefi 
 
 Railways . _ _ 
 
 •• Authorised 
 
 Telegraph Lines & Sta 
 Stock Routes _ 
 Steamer Routes
 
 WESTERN AUSTRALIA 
 
 ITS EARLY VICISSITUDES, 
 
 ROMANTIC AWAKENING, DEVELOPMEN'F, 
 
 AND PROGRESS. 
 
 
 
 Issued by the authority of 
 THE PREMIER, HON. J. MITCHELL, C.M.G. 
 
 PERTH: 
 
 FRED. WM. SIMPSON, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. 
 1920.
 
 ^//^^^^^^^ HonMitMI.CMuMLA ^W^^^^ 
 
 HpiiIESWillmottMLl 
 
 HonriBdxterMLC. 
 
 morarvM'imsfer SirffaiicifM/dpmieXM HunormMinistei: 
 Oovcrnor 01 Uhipm Austrdlia. 
 
 # 
 
 
 'leg ^tnv*^^ 
 
 tlonJJBroiiiiMlA. 
 Colonial ^ecretari; 

 
 I ' ■l(i-, 
 
 I "i-'i
 
 Wild Flowers of Western Australia. 
 
 9. 
 10. 
 
 Culadenia Lungii:auda (Spider Orchid). 
 Aniqoaaiithus Manglenii (Ked and green Kaujjarfto 
 
 Paw.) 
 Hovea T)-i--H)crinii (Huvca). 
 Caladenia Patersoni (While Spider Orcliid). 
 Leschenaultia Bilohu (lilue Leschenaultia) . 
 Isotropic Striata. 
 
 Caladenia Flava (Cowslip 0^'chid). 
 Diuvls Liuiijifolia (Stag's Head Orchid). 
 Vcvliconlia, Grandis (Crimson Veriicordia). 
 Burchardia UmhcLlata. 
 
 
 11. Clianthus Dampieri (Sturt's Desert Pea). 
 
 12. Anigo&anthus Humilis (Orange Kangaroo Paw). 
 
 13. Caladenia Discoidea (Small Spider Orchid). 
 I'k ChamaeUmcium Uncinatum (Wax Flower), 
 lo. THchinium Ohovatum (Goldtields Clover) 
 
 16. Hibiscus Huegelii (Swan River Hibiscus). 
 
 17. Banksia Coccinco. 
 
 18. Kcnncdya Nigricans (IJlack and gold Kenuedya). 
 
 19. Thysanolas Dichotomus (Fringed Lily). 
 
 20. Cepkalotus FoUiciUaris (Pitcher Plant or Flj Trap).
 
 OUTMAN, Dirk Haitop, Nuyts, Dampiei, 
 Vlaniiiig— these and other names preserved 
 in geographical nomenclature recall the deeds 
 of doughty mariners of old who came and 
 saw but did not conquer. 
 
 The "great South land " 
 appealed not to them. 
 " Coastline treacherous, 
 mainland waterless, in- 
 hospitable and unfit for 
 habitation b y w h i t e 
 people, natives hostile." 
 Thus tersely may be 
 summed up their im- 
 pressions. 
 
 Centuries passed into history re- 
 cording at most brief exploratory 
 glimpses of the coast gleaned at 
 long intervals by British, French, 
 Dutch, and Portuguese voyagers. 
 Still the island continent remained 
 an enigma, steadfastly defying all 
 attempts at solution from the West. 
 
 1160435
 
 Lapse of years brought 
 Captain Cook's discoveries on 
 the Eastern coast of Aus- 
 tralia, but so late as the first 
 quarter of the last century, 
 Western Australia continued 
 to be neglected save for 
 coastal exploration. 
 
 Only when French exploration seemed 
 to be taking a serious turn were the 
 British colonisers in the newly settled 
 Eastern Australia spurred to the extent 
 of establishing suftlcient outposts to defi- 
 nitely secure the Western portion of the 
 continent for the British Crown. 
 
 The hoisting of the 
 Union Jack, on Christmas 
 Day, 1825, at the spot 
 where tlie town of Albany 
 now stands, marked the 
 consummation of posses- 
 s ion. The colony was 
 proclaimed on 7th June, 
 1829, and, in the same 
 year, the sites of the cap- 
 ital city of Perth and its 
 chief seaport, Fremantle. 
 were chosen.
 
 Western Australia comprises one -third of the 
 whole continent of Australia. Picture the 
 enormous extent of territory this rep- 
 resents. From South to North it 
 stretches nearly 1,500 miles. East 
 4|||^^^t-^ 'ind West it spans 1,000 miles. To 
 "^^^^N the South it dips into the temperate 
 ^^^^V latitude of 35 decrees, sivin^ as 
 ^ equable and congenial a climate as 
 can be found in any part of the world. 
 Northward it reaches to within 14 
 degrees of the equator, keeping company 
 iatitudiiially with such places as Brazil, Mozam- 
 bique, and Samoa. 
 
 Albany— wliere the rnion Jack was first hoisted 
 
 And just as there prevails between the two extrem- 
 ities of littoral a wide range of climates, so within the 
 same mighty compass there are soils and natural 
 resources of such extent, diversity and richness as are 
 not found in any other single State on the globe.
 
 f^% 
 
 
 *.»*. 
 
 F.xtinsive agriculture followed the gold discoveries 
 
 Only by slow and tedious effort has Western Australia in 
 the real sense been discovered. Though founded earlier than 
 its immediate neighbour on the East, and doubtless under 
 conditions that promised a future no less auspicious, the Western 
 province continued to struggle in the throes of depression, 
 stagnation and isolation long after the Eastern colonies were 
 fairly established and even flourishing. 
 
 Not less intrepid were our explorers who blazed the trails ; 
 not less indomitable the pioneers of settlement who followed 
 up, and sometimes became the pathfinders to the interior. 
 Yet for 60 long years growth was so feeble that the stoutest 
 hearts might often have despaired. 
 
 But events are proving that Western as well as Eastern 
 Australia has been bountifully endowed with natural wealth. 
 May it not be that even choicer gifts have been bestowed on 
 the Cinderella State for which reason Nature has exacted a greater 
 toll of life and work ere consenting to give them up ? 
 
 "■'''JSiPS'i 'w^- 
 
 ■ ^M e: iu te £ ^S SK mi &Aiiai^ ht ^m^^j^^m;^^' 
 
 10
 
 Initial work mi a Kaljj 
 
 The year nineteen hundred and twenty marks the thirtieth 
 anniversary of Responsible Government in Western AustraUa 
 Practically coincident with the ^rantiiiK of self-government was 
 the awakening of the State, commercially and industrially, 
 and the great forward movement from the real dawn of our 
 history is easily within the memory of the living. Where has 
 fiction devised or realism rivalled a stranger romance than 
 Western Australia's leap to fame ? In a flash, as it were, the 
 hitherto almost unknown portion nf Australia had, through 
 its gold discoveries, become w(irld-f anions, and soon was 
 attracting adventurous spirits from all parts of the globe. 
 
 That was the starting point, and less than a decade sufficed 
 to rise to the prestige of a place with the five sister States in the 
 formation of the Australian Commonwealth. 
 
 Thus adventitiously stimulated by fortune. Western Aus- 
 tralia seized her opportunity and set about the development 
 of her resources and the establishment of industries. Railways 
 were pushed out, water supplies were provided, harbours were 
 constructed, and the policy of the country generally was directed 
 to securing a permanent prosperity resting upon the infallible 
 base of agricultural development. 
 
 11
 
 Soil and climate are ideal for fruit growing 
 
 Of the success already achieved, more telling than general 
 terms aie tlie figures of the statistician. Though production 
 still falls short of home requirements in some departments of 
 rural activity, in others there are annually substantial surpluses 
 for export, and be it remembered that this is the achievement 
 of but a score of years. 
 
 On the 
 Murr.iv Kivcr 
 
 12
 
 Naturally this infant among the producinir States has 
 experienced somewhat of a set back due to the war, but with 
 that exception the movement has been ever onward. And 
 onward there is every prospect of it continuin.e:. Land settle- 
 ment is proceedinjf vigorously and on sound lines ; prospectors 
 are testing the vast mineral areas with a zeal and thoroughness 
 unknown before ; industries are regaining their pristine 
 activity. 
 
 Son til const scenery 
 
 '-~^ 
 
 13
 
 Wliere 
 
 acclimatised perch 
 
 abound 
 
 What has been accomplished is but 
 an earnest of what the future holds in 
 store. It is the work of a community 
 that at best has scarcely exceeded 300,000 
 souls ; it is work that has little more than 
 touched the fringe of the immense re- 
 sources awaiting exploitation. With the repatriation of her 
 soldiers nearing completion, Western Australia is again turning 
 to the interrupted policy of immigration, inviting compatriots 
 across the seas to embrace the wider opportunities that she has 
 to offer them. 
 
 By focussing the series of sketches that follow in the setting 
 and perspective of Western Australia's brief history, one may 
 judge of the sensible and substantial progress which the State 
 has made toward::, a realisation of its inherent greatness. 
 
 How Swan Kivtr derived its name 
 
 14
 
 iir 
 
 121 
 
 125- 
 
 WESTERN AUSTRALIA- 
 
 COV^ PRINT.
 
 Western Australia's area is 975,920 sq. miles or 624,588,800 
 acres — more than eight times the size of the United Kingdom. 
 Of this immense area, three-fourths is more or less suitable for 
 pastoral purposes, and 60,000 sq. miles for agriculture. Gold, 
 coal, and other minerals in abundance are found, and wide 
 stretches are covered with forests of great commercial value. 
 The climate varies from temperate in the South to tropical in 
 the North, but everywhere the conditions are healthy. The 
 history of settlement and development has not shown one square 
 mile where white men, even those from colder latitudes, cannot 
 live and thrive. 
 
 The country is not mountainous. The highest point in 
 the State — Mt. Bruce in the Ashburton District — reaches an 
 altitude of 4,024 feet. The Stirling Range, 40 miles North- 
 East of Albany is the loftiest in the Southern portion of the 
 State, the summit of Bluff Knoll being 3,640 feet. The Darling 
 Ranee stretches due north and south parallel with the Western 
 
 coast for 300 miles. Its highest 
 peak rises to 1.910 feet. The far 
 interior is largely a great table- 
 land varying from 1,000 to 2.000 
 feet above sea level. 
 
 There is practically only one 
 navigable river, the Swan, on the 
 shores of which stands the capital 
 city and at the mouth of which 
 Fremantle has been built. The 
 river is navigable by small vessels 
 for about 20 miles. Some of the 
 other rivers are perennial but 
 some are simply huge storm 
 water channels which during the 
 summer diminish to a series of 
 pools. 
 
 Amongst the rocks 
 
 at 
 
 Cape Xaturaliste 
 
 15
 
 -"'ii^BSr.- 
 
 ,^^ 
 
 .v^ M^rm 
 
 An upper reacli of tlit- Swan 
 
 In ail fasterii aerioultiual ilislrict 
 
 16
 
 Section of the Golden JNIile 
 
 GOLD 
 MINING 
 
 HE AWAKENING of Western Australia 
 dates from the discovery of gold in 
 1885, but it was not until the early 
 nineties that the wonderful finds at 
 Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie attracted the 
 attention of the world at large and 
 finally dissipated the ignorance and 
 prejudice which had previously existed. 
 From a gold output of the value of 
 £1,148 in 1886, the yield leapt to a 
 value of £8,770,719 in 1903. Since then 
 there has been a gradual decline, but 
 this was what was reasonably expected 
 on the exhaustion of the phenomenally 
 rich surface discoveries and the fact 
 that the treatment of low grade ores 
 has of late years been more extensively 
 undertaken. 
 
 Between 1886 and the end of 1919, 
 the total gold production was 33,130,549 
 ounces of the value of £140,730,000, 
 and the dividends paid amoiinted to 
 £27,424,700. Of the total, the East Cool- 
 gardie mines — principally those on the Golden 
 Mile at Kalgoorlie — have yielded 18,385,548 
 
 THE Three hundred and seventy-five miles from Perth, in the 
 
 GOLDEN midst of what had been regarded as a profitless waste of hungry 
 MILE sand, is the famous Golden Mile. 
 
 18
 
 H 
 
 o- 
 
 The primitive hand witidhiss in the 
 day of small things has given place to a 
 large and congested expanse of surface 
 buildings, replete with the most modern 
 machinery, while the huge dumps of spoil 
 bear eloquent testimony to the labours of 
 thousands of miners underground. 
 
 The East Coolgardie goldfields, prin- 
 cipally those on the Golden Mile at Kal- 
 goorlie, have yielded over eighteen and a 
 quarter million ounces of gold. 
 
 19
 
 
 LJt^ 
 
 The Crokieii Mile comprises a wonderful j^roiip nt lioiiaiizas 
 
 Chief among the mines on the 600 square miles of East 
 Coolgardie fields is the wonderful group of the Golden Mile, so- 
 called because it is one of the richest square miles of mineral 
 country in the world. Where twenty-five years ago was silent, 
 dreary desert may be seen to-day millions of pounds worth of 
 mining plant and machinery in noisy 
 operation, while at either ex- 
 J:remity rise the large v/ell- 
 J^niilt towns of Kalgoorlie 
 md Boulder. 
 
 Hiiormous surface plants have been established on the 
 Bonlder Mines 
 
 2U
 
 The twill towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder present a striking' 
 appearance of modernity, and are complete in the comforts, 
 facilities, and luxuries of civilisation. Solid and imposing is the 
 architecture of the public buildings ; veritable oases are the 
 charmiiig parks and gardens made possible by that triumph of 
 engineering skill which enables water conserved in the coastal 
 
 THE CITY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE DESERT 
 
 Modern Kalsoorlio iii Irtc 
 
 ranges to be pumped thither through 350 miles of steel piping. 
 
 The Golden Mile 
 the total gold 
 ducing centre ■-.. 
 confident ex- J*' 
 in the lodes as ip^ 
 
 has been responsible for about one-half of 
 yield. It is still the great gold-pro- 
 of the State and continues to warrant 
 pectation of considerable permanence 
 the depth of the mines increases. 
 
 Kalgoorlie I'ost ottiL 
 
 21
 
 NEW Several new discoveries made during the present year have 
 
 DISCOVERIES aroused public interest in the gold mining industry to a pitch of 
 expectancy reminiscent of its palmiest days. These finds have 
 been reported from three different centres, all situated South- East 
 of Kalgoorlie — at Hampton Plains 16 miles distant, at Mt. 
 Monger 30 miles distant, and at the Southern end of Lake 
 Lefroy 45 miles distant, and have led to the 
 flotation of many companies and the raising of 
 considerable capital for the work of develop- 
 / ment. 
 
 While it is yet early to 
 expect that these fields will pro- 
 vide any sensations comparable 
 to those of the nineties, experts are^ 
 optimistic that payable mines cap- 
 able of steady production will result. 
 In several instances the initial develop- 
 ments have been decidedly encouraging, and , ^^-"^ 
 such as to fortify the conviction of the mining 
 community that the industry has much of its greatness still 
 before it. 
 
 22
 
 
 ^ 
 
 w 
 
 \\ 
 
 MAP ®f i 
 
 Shewing Coldfields & oLher Mining DisLricLs 
 
 1920 
 
 ScaIc of Miles 
 
 y^y^ 
 
 y T f^>- 
 
 
 COVT PRINT .
 
 VIEWS 
 OF 
 
 HAMPTON 
 PLAINS 
 
 " Upon more than one occasion it has been officially pointed 
 out to the Government that, having due regard to the extent of 
 the ore-bearing formations, and the fact that 
 Western Australia has been remarkably stable 
 and quiescent since early palaeozoic times, 
 the State possesses almost limitless mining 
 possibilities." 
 
 Thus the Government Geologist ; and 
 his opinion is supplemented in the follow- 
 ing practical terms by the State Mining 
 Engineer : — "The working of the fields 
 has barely begun ; active and systematic 
 prospecting can hardly fail of being sooner 
 or later well rewarded." 
 
 Hence the Government, in addition to 
 assisting the industry to the fullest possible 
 extent, seeks to foster and promote its expansion 
 by rendering very substantial assistance to the prospector. In 
 this the State effort has lately been seconded by the Common- 
 wealth in connection with its work of repatriation, with the 
 result that prospecting is now being conducted more widely and 
 vigorously than ever before. 
 
 23
 
 TIN Almost every mineral known to mining science abounds in 
 
 FIELDS Western Australia. The occurrence of gold is common to 
 practically the whole of the State. Tin is found principally at 
 Greenbushes and throughout the Pilbara field. The produc- 
 tion of coal has been confined to the Collie district, though 
 deposits of coal have also been located in other parts of the 
 State. Copper is found at West Pilbara, Peak Hill, Lawlers, 
 Meekatharra, and Phillips River, lead ore at Northampton, 
 silver lead ore at Ashburton, pyritic ore at Mount Morgans and 
 tantalite in the Marble Bar District. 
 
 Other minerals found in Western Australia include iron- 
 stone, arsenical ore, scheelite, magnesite, molybdenite, graphite, 
 wolfram, antimony, asbestos, bismuth, gadolinite, limestone, 
 mica and zinc. 
 
 24
 
 The value of the mineral production, other than gold, to 
 the end of 1919 was— copper £1,610,877; tin £1,428,107 ; lead 
 and silver lead ore and concentrates £575.226 ; pig lead £440,820 ; 
 coal £2,323,911. Other minerals, including mica and asbestos, 
 accounted for £44,843. 
 
 COPPER 
 MIN'ING 
 
 COAL AND IRON 
 
 Coal mining is prose- 
 cuted in the Collie dis- 
 trict, which lies 40 miles 
 East of Bunbury and 
 1 24 miles south of Perth. 
 The area of coal meas- 
 ures is approximately 
 50 square miles. Oper- 
 ations are carried on 
 by several private com- 
 panies which, from the 
 inception of their work 
 within the last 20 years 
 to the end of 1919, re- 
 corded an output worth roughly two and a half millions sterling. 
 In these days when the nations of the earth are sizing up 
 their coal measures and calculating the extent of their power 
 resources at the present heavy rate of consumption, this asset 
 of the State is receiving considerable attention. 
 
 25
 
 It is believed that 
 the efficiency of Collie 
 coal could be greatly 
 increased if it could 
 be manufactured into 
 briquettes, and the 
 efforts of chemists 
 have for years been __ 
 
 directed to discover a 
 suitable process. 
 
 It seems that success has at last been 
 attained, for one of the Collie companies 
 has recently acquired the rights of such a 
 patent. In the briquette form it is claimed 
 
 that Collie coal will cost several shillings 
 a ton less than New South Wales coal and 
 will have a greater calorific value. 
 
 " One of the great iron ore deposits of 
 the world," to quote the State Mining 
 Engineer, exists at Yampi Sound on the 
 North- West coast of the State. These 
 deposits are contained in cliffs rising from 
 deep water to a height of several hundred 
 feet, and it is estimated that they will 
 yield 97,000,000 tons of unusually pure 
 
 ore from above 
 the high watei 
 mark. Yampi 
 S u n d is u 
 spacious and 
 almost land- 
 locked deep- 
 water harbor. 
 The largest 
 vessels afloat 
 could enter 
 and leave at 
 
 any state of the tide and could be loaded 
 directly from the quarries by white labour 
 at a cost of 2s. per ton. Investigations 
 are now being made with a view to treat- 
 ing the ore locally by electrical process. 
 
 26
 
 STATE 
 BATTERIES 
 
 State Batteries have been established to assist those pros- 
 pectors who are endeavouring to develop leases by their 
 own efforts. In many instances it has been possible for the 
 leaspholders to pay their way out of the value of the stone they 
 have raised. The rates charged for treatment are such that a 
 man in a remote district is placed on a footing similar to that of 
 the miner in a more settled locality. At the end of last year, 
 30 batteries were at work and the ore treated totalled 1,237,000 
 tons for a yield of 1,191,000 ozs. From the tailings there has 
 been recovered 197,371 ozs. The amount expended on the 
 batteries is £378,213 and while operations have shown a loss, 
 the benefit to the prospectors has been incalculable. The treat- 
 ment of tin is also undertaken by the State, 
 the quantity dealt with to datehavinebc 
 79,276 tons for a yield of 969 tons. 
 In connection with the mil 
 industry, scientific investigation 
 
 are carried out by a capable staff. 
 
 At Kalgoorlie, a well-equipped 
 
 school of mines is maintained 
 
 by the State at big expense. 
 
 Free a.ssays are made for 
 
 prospectors, and in this de- 
 partment there has lately 
 
 been a considerable increase 
 
 in the volume of work done. 
 
 Many inquiries have been 
 
 made and answered regarding 
 
 minerals of economic value 
 
 which formerly were little sought 
 
 after.
 
 PERTH 
 MINT 
 
 A goldfields garden — 
 
 the result of 
 
 the water scheme 
 
 The Perth branch of the Royal Mint may be said to have 
 been established in 1894, when the Government of Western 
 Australia took the initial steps towards bringing that institution 
 into being. The Mint was opened in 1899, since which year it 
 has coined approximately 84 million sovereigns. 
 
 GOLDFIELDS The water supplies for the goldfields are the special care 
 
 WATER of the State. In addition to the big scheme by which water is 
 SCHEME pumped from the Darling Range, the State maintains a Mines 
 Water Supply Department. Its function is to undertake the 
 construction of tanks or reservoirs for water conservation; to 
 design and carry out larger water schemes intended to be handed 
 over to local water boards; to survey, clear, and form the roads 
 and tracks throughout the fields, and to bore for water and sink 
 wells. When a new discovery is reported, provision is made 
 to supply the locality with the least possible delay. 
 
 28
 
 GOI^DFIELDS WATER SCHEME 
 
 .Showing the original site ot the reservoir on the Helena River ■ the Mundaring Weir of 4,600,000,000 gallons capacity ; 
 
 the seven-mile lake of impounded water ; one of the eight pumping stations ; section of the 30-inch steel main, and a 
 
 garden of the interior made possible by the scheme. The water takes about a month to 
 
 traverse the ?51>i miles to Kalgoorlie. 
 
 29
 
 AGRICULTURE 
 
 AGRICULTURALLY it seems but 
 yesterday since Western Australia 
 stepped into the limelight. Of course 
 farming had been engaged in since 
 the earliest days of settlement, but 
 during the first sixty years the 
 industry lacked any real status or 
 prosperity. The chief value of the 
 land was considered to lie in its sheep-carrying capa- 
 bilities. 
 
 On the discovery of Cool- 
 gardie in 1893, the stream 
 of population pouring into 
 the country created a large 
 and reliable market, and 
 landholders for the first time 
 found an incentive to go in 
 for cultivation on a more ex- 
 tensive scale. Four years later, a further impetus was given to 
 steady development by the throwing open for selection of the 
 Great Southern lands which, together with the railway, had been 
 taken over by the Government. 
 
 30
 
 1. The scltliT's arrival 
 
 coNyi'EST OF Tin-; i.axd 
 
 2. His first homestead 3. Clearinii 4. Ciiltivatinj,' 5. The four year old farm 
 
 6. Ciillivatioii wedgiiiR into the forest 7. I.aboiirs reward
 
 I^S£^^' 
 
 -«iA,: 
 
 Harvesting the crop 
 
 In 1903-4 came a more jjenerous and general appreciation 
 of our land resources. Quite suddenly, it seemed, people 
 throughout the State turned from the obscession of gold to talk 
 of production, and the talk was soon translated into action. 
 Many abandoned the quest for gold to establish themselves in 
 the more congenial role of husbandry, and this, curiously enough, 
 at the very time when the production of the precious metal was 
 at its maximum. Men of the State from almost every walk of 
 life dropped their varied callings to face life anew as producers. 
 Nor was the movement confined to this State. Interest spread 
 to Eastern Australia, and thence many stalwart sons of toil 
 crossed the Bight to carve for themselves new homes in the 
 West. Thus \sas ushered in our second golden era. 
 
 .\ farmer's dairy herd 
 
 ;hl'
 
 117= 
 
 !2I' 
 
 125- 
 
 Rainfall Map 
 WESTERN AUSTRALIA 
 
 — explanation 
 
 
 Under 10 inches 
 
 
 1 1 
 
 Over 10 „ 
 
 & under 15 ins. 
 
 1 1 
 
 15 „ 
 
 „ „ 20 .. 
 
 t • 1 
 
 20 .. 
 
 ., .. 3(9 „ 
 
 my\ 
 
 30 „ 
 
 „ M 40 .. 
 
 mm 
 
 .. 40 ,. .. 
 
 
 BH
 
 
 Scooping out a tank 
 
 A -iKltil (.Ininp nl v;nnkt Uvi.- in a wIk.U licld 
 
 33
 
 The South-Western Division of the State — a proved agricul- 
 tural belt 600 miles by 200 miles — contains 38 million acres 
 suitable for wheat and sheep, 7 million acres for fruit, sheep, 
 and cereals, 6| million acres for dairy produce, stock, and 
 potatoes, and 4| million acres for stock only. 
 
 When Western Australia was granted Respon- 
 sible Government thirty years ago, the total 
 area under crop was less than 70,000 acres. 
 Steady progress year by year brought the total 
 
 to 2,189,000 acres in 191 6 and, in 
 
 addition, there were 295,000 
 
 acres newly cleared and pre- 
 pared for cropping, 686,000 
 
 acres in fallow, and 
 
 4,750,000 acres partially 
 
 cleared. 
 
 Near 
 Gerald ton 
 
 Since 191 6, there has been a slight slirinkage owing to the 
 war, but with the repatriation of our soldiers, which is proceeding 
 apace, and a vigorous immigration policy, for which preparations 
 are already well advanced, the rapid expansion of former years 
 should be fully maintained if not greatly exceeded. 
 
 34
 
 A Iiomeslead in tlie (licat Soulhirn comitiv 
 
 111 tlK- Ivistcru and .MiiUaiul Districts stock and wlicat tluivc cqualh' well 
 
 35
 
 The crop yields for the past season were- 
 bushels (average 11.41 bushels per acre) 
 bushels (average 15-19) ; Barley, 164,332 
 bushels (average 15.04); Oaten and 
 Wheaten Hay, 319,680 tons (average 
 1 .12). The record wheat yield for 
 the State was 18,236,355 bushels 
 in 1915-16. 
 
 -Wheat, 12,276,560 
 Oats, 3,328,320 
 
 Modern transport 
 
 The values of the principal crops produced last season 
 were— Wheat, £2,211,347; Hay, £1,412,716; Green Forage, 
 £43,326 ; Oats, £296,813 ; Barley, £22,908 ; Orchards, £422,249; 
 Potatoes, £152,061 ; Onions, £9,234 ; Market Gardens, £113,584 ; 
 Vineyards (including Wine), £53,370. 
 
 In 1907 Western Australia first produced wheat sufficiently 
 in excess of home requirements to give her a place among the 
 countries that help to feed the multitudes of other lands. The 
 value of wheat exported in that year was £96,675. In 1916-17 
 the value of wheat exported was £1,619,630. 
 
 36
 
 Here are a few fi^8:ures that tell the story of progress in 
 land settlement during the last twenty years — 
 
 1900 1920 
 
 acres acres 
 
 Area alienated 
 
 Area in process of alienation 
 Leases and Licenses in force 
 Area unoccupied 
 
 3,413,529 
 
 3,065,420 
 
 90,314,932 
 
 527,794,919 
 
 8,605,479 
 13,237,947 
 
 245,404,589 
 357,340,785 
 
 Area of Western Australia .. 624,588,800 ^.i 624,588,800 
 
 Leases and Licenses at 
 present in force consist of — 
 Pastoral, 241,679,020 acres; 
 Reserves, 2,139,541 acres; Gold 
 Mining, 10,311 acres; Mineral, 40,459 
 acres; Timber, 625,186 acres; Timber 
 Permits, 819,520 acres; Special, 53,584 acres. 
 
 i^Mr 
 
 38
 
 By exceedin,e:Iy liberal land laws has the settlement of the 
 State's broad acres been fostered, and by generous assistance 
 afterwards have settlers succeeded in subduing the bush and 
 establishing themselves upon their holdings. Through the 
 medium of the Agricultural Bank and 
 Industries Assistance Board, the Gov- 
 ernment have advanced £3,798,46? to 
 assist the men on the land, of which 
 amount about one-third has been 
 repaid. The money has been utilised 
 for clearing, cultivating, fencing, drain- 
 ing, water supplies, and buildings. 
 
 Maize crop on newly 
 tlcired ktoimkI 
 
 Knglisli rye 
 
 3U
 
 POTATO GKOWINCi 
 Stages iti the developiiient of a Southern potato farm 
 
 40
 
 The present generation of West Australians have proved 
 thLMiiselves worthy sons of worthy sires. When in the midst 
 of ever expanding prosperity there came the call to arms, the 
 manhood of Western Australia volunteered for service in numbers 
 proportionately exceedin.u; those of any other State of the Com- 
 monwealth. Now, with the strenuous days of war behind, many 
 of our fighting men have answered the call to the land. 
 
 The Commonwealth Government controls all phases of 
 repatriation except land settlement. In Western Australia 
 this work is controlled by the General Manager of the Agricul- 
 tural Bank. The avenues open to our soldiers embrace w heat, 
 sheep, cattle, pig, poultry raising, dairying, intense culture, and 
 orchard propositions. Land is provided from Crown lands, 
 by the purchase of estates for subdivision, and of single farms 
 representing the surplus of holdirigs by established settlers. 
 
 Advances are made up to a maximum of £2,000 to start the 
 soldier on a going concern, and concessions are made in interest 
 rates, fees, and land prices. A soldier taking up Crown land 
 receives 160 acres free and 840 acres at half-price. Experienced 
 inspectors control the operations of the new settlers and visit 
 the farms regularly to assist and advise. Soldiers require 
 certificates of qualification as farmers before coming under the 
 scheme, but men without experience are trained with established 
 settlers and receive maintenance while training. 
 
 At the end of April the number of soldier applicants was 
 5,100, soldiers actually settled 2,600, soldiers training 92, 
 Agricultural Bank advances authorised £2,172,167, expenditure 
 on purchase of estates £375,631. 
 
 REPATRIA- 
 TION 
 
 SoUlici- 
 Pfilh 
 
 41
 
 ^ ..-.iA^i 
 
 
 'I'liret- iiKiii-'iiUural towns Nuilliaui, Kalaiiiiint;, York 
 
 42
 
 Dairyini^f ;is an industry is somewhat backward. True, 
 produetifiii luis increased greatly — that of butter has more than 
 trebled in the hist few years — but chiefly through the aggre- 
 gation of tit-bits. Though diversity of production on individual 
 holdings is a wise policy, dairying is capable of better things 
 than for ever being a mere side line to other rural efTort. Growers 
 of wheat, wool, meat, and fruit have to seek abroad for markets 
 to absorb their surplus products. Not so the dairy farmer. 
 For him there is a Idcal market ravenous for his butter, milk, 
 cheese, eggs, bac<tn, ham, etc., and we have the land to produce 
 all our requirements and more. 
 
 In the extreme South- West corner of the State, says expert 
 (ipinion, there are tliousands of acres of viri^in country eminently 
 suited for dairying. It has permanent rivers and a 50-inch 
 rainfall, and water is obtainable almost anywhere by sinking. 
 It is very similar to portions of the North Coast of New South 
 Wales and Queensland, where new country has been converted 
 into grassland and successfully dairy-farmed within a few years. 
 
 DAIRYING 
 
 W'l -I .1.111 V lu nl 
 
 •13
 
 Ill tlie South-West irrigation is rendered easy l)y tlie 
 abundance of running water 
 
 AGRICUL- Agricultural education is begun in the primary schools by 
 
 TURAL courses of Nature study in the lower and intermediate forms 
 
 EDUCATION and experimental work in the upper standards. From the 
 
 primary schools, boys may pass to the district high schools for 
 
 general education, which includes a science course bearing upon 
 
 agriculture. 
 
 The Narrogin School of Agriculture is open to lads of 14 
 leaving the primary schools, and provides a two years' course 
 divided between class instruction and out-door work on alternate 
 days. The mit-door work includes all the cultural operations 
 of the mixed farm, the care of stock, gardening, orchard work, 
 and ordinary repairs. The class work includes courses in 
 agricultural science, mathematics, and geography up to the 
 standard of the junior certificate of public examinations. 
 Students who qualify for this certificate are able to proceed to 
 the diploma course in agriculture at the University. 
 
 The Narrogin institution also provides a degree course 
 similar to that of other Universities. The curriculum of the 
 B.Sc. requires three years to complete and an additional year 
 at farm work if the candidate is without previous experience in 
 farming. Before beginning work at the University, candidates 
 are required to matriculate in the faculty of science. 
 
 4,4-
 
 To demonstrate the possibilities of 
 farming on up-to-date lines, State 
 farms were established in various 
 centres, and having achieved that 
 object, they are now conducted as ex- 
 perimental stations for the production 
 of true-to-name cereals, the raising of 
 pure-bred stock, and the demonstra- 
 tion of the most approved methods of 
 farm, station, and dairy management. 
 
 Narrogin School of 
 
 Agriculture — 
 
 Students and their work 
 
 In addition there are three 
 experimental farms in the 
 wheat areas. To further 
 assist the primary producer 
 the Government employs 
 specialists who keep in close 
 touch with all branches of 
 the industry, so that ex- 
 pert advice may be had for 
 the asking. 
 
 45
 
 PASTORAL 
 
 F the early days of the Swan River 
 settlement we are told — " the timber 
 is too thick for flocks and herds : 
 therefore the squatting districts are 
 eastward of the dividing range and 
 North of the Swan." 
 
 Forced into the van of civilis- 
 ation from the very beginning 
 of the colony's existence, the 
 pastoralist has remained there 
 ever since. He has been the 
 pioneer of pioneers — pushing 
 into the primeval wilderness, 
 occupying and proving the 
 country, and then moving out still farther to make way 
 for the farmer and other rural producers. And to the 
 pastoralist Western Australia still looks to occupy most 
 of her huge areas of idle lands and bring them under 
 profitable production. 
 
 Various modes of transport 
 
 46
 
 1 Mustering 
 
 4. Shipping wool at a Xorth-West port 
 
 I. Wool /•« inute to the coast 
 5. Wool on the jetty at Derby 
 
 3. An aristocratic sire 
 6. Ready for the shearer 
 
 47
 
 
 
 
 
 -r 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^^V^» 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 *, 
 
 ^% 
 
 mmd 
 
 In 
 
 ffr' 
 
 
 
 K|| 
 
 il^ 
 
 ^f 
 
 r ^'- Y 
 
 ■pPw^ 
 
 SnjiH 
 
 
 
 ffl 
 
 fri 
 
 
 jlJ^ 
 
 -_J- -| 
 
 *^ 
 
 AH 
 
 E^ 
 
 
 
 *■»*- i* 
 
 
 
 > 
 
 
 'IHHHI 
 
 A station scetie 
 
 Merino rams 
 
 Kwts and lambs on a Mnrchison station 
 
 -18
 
 49
 
 Fifty years ago our sheep numbered but half a niillidu 
 and cattle some forty thousand head. Then came the revel- 
 ation by explorers of considerable areas of pasture in the North 
 and North- West, and men of grit and enterprise were not lacking 
 to take advantage of such favourable conditions. The real 
 development of the industry dates from this time. The stocking 
 of runs proceeded rapidly and many first-class animals were 
 imported to improve the quality of the flocks and herds. 
 
 The annual production of the pastoral industry has now 
 reached the colossal figures of four and half millions sterling. 
 In the last eighty years wool to the value of twenty-four millions 
 sterling has been exported. 
 
 The wool clip for last season was estimated at over forty- 
 five millions pound weight. 
 
 during the last four years the stock in 
 
 the State has greatly increased in 
 
 numbers, sheep from 4,500,000 
 
 to 7,200,000 ; cattle from 
 
 ^^'\ 
 
 835,000 to 902,000 ; horses 
 
 from 161,000 to 180,000 ; 
 
 dairy cows from 28,000 to 
 
 42,000 ; and pigs from 59,800 
 
 to 85,800.
 
 51
 
 Sheltered pastures 
 
 Kiinberley, in the far North, is used almost exclusively for cattle. 
 Sheep are the principal stock depastured in the North- West. 
 
 With flocks and herds greatly in excess of our own needs, 
 large quantities of meat are available for export, and everything 
 that can be done is being done by the Government to encourage 
 the establishment of cold storage and export works at the 
 principal seaports. 
 
 At Wyndham the Government has erected large works 
 for killing, freezing, and canning meat for export and utilising 
 the by-products. The works are now in full swing and this 
 season some 20,000 head of cattle will be treated. 
 
 52
 
 
 53
 
 Creeiioiigh caltle ]i.isturts 
 
 Bearing in mind tlie immense proportions which the 
 American meat trade has attained, one would be bold to venture 
 to predict the possibilities that lie before the pastoral industry 
 of Western Australia. The Trans-Australian Railway, which, 
 between Kalgoorlie and the South Australian border, traverses 
 
 stock parade at the Koyal AgriciiUural Sliow 
 
 .')4
 
 Horse breeding in the Midlands 
 
 some 400 miles of our territory, should brint;: within the realms 
 of practical pastoralism the threat areas of country northward 
 from Eucla, and if those enthusiasts comprising the North-West 
 Railway and Development League ever witness the realisation 
 of their ambitions — the construction of a line from Meekatharra 
 to the Northern Territory — the Kimberley country will be largely 
 stocked with sheep, for which its carrying capabilities are un- 
 doubted. 
 
 Blood stock at the Royal Agricultural Sliow
 
 Durliai- ^ipniig ,• v 
 
 on tlie ii* 
 
 Wiluna-Hall's Creek (i' 
 
 stock route { 
 
 i 
 
 In recent years the systematic 
 conservation of water has xtone 
 much to increase the carrying 
 capacity of stations. 
 
 The tapping of the artesian basin 
 lias brought into use immense areas 
 of country that previously were 
 regarded as worthless. 
 
 An artesian bort 
 
 In llie liearl of the continent watering place on stock route 
 
 56
 
 By Authority : Prki-. WW. SiMPbos, Ooveromenl Printer, I-ertb.
 
 HS'I'CRN AUSTRALIA'S hardwoods have ;i 
 woiid-widi.' reputation for strenij;th and dura- 
 bility, in its timbers the State has an asset 
 supplyintr the staple of a bii^- industry, and 
 contributing- largely to tiie 
 prosperity of the country. 
 S(jnie years ago the then 
 Conservator of Forests es- 
 timated tiiat our forests contained marketable 
 
 timber of u value of £124.000,000 — a rou,u:h 
 
 estimate, true, but indicative of the enormous 
 
 wealth awaiting faller and sawmiller to be 
 
 turned to account. 
 
 Of a total wooded area of 98 million acres, 
 
 jarrah mainly, with blackbutt and red uuni 
 
 interspersed, represents 8,000,000 acres, karri 
 
 1,200,000 acres, tuart 200,000 acres, wandoo 
 
 (white gum and allied timbers) 7,000.000 
 
 acres, York gum, yate, sandalwood, and jam 
 
 wood 4,000,000 acres. 
 
 Our first shipment of hardwood was sent 
 
 away in 1836 — a modest parcel of 200 loads. 
 
 In the year before the outbreak of the war. 
 
 exports reached high water mark, 272,397 
 
 loads, valued at £1, 089.481. The total quan- 
 tity shipped to the end of 1919 is set down 
 
 at 3,863,539 loads of a value of £15,683,012. 
 An important phase of the industry is the 
 
 cutting of firewood for the mines. This timber 
 
 is obtained from inferior belts in the gold- 
 fields areas, and the quantity used as fuel is 
 
 very large. The mines on the Golden Mile 
 
 alone account for 350,000 tons annually. 
 Mallet bark, valuable for tanning purposes, 
 
 has been exported to the extent of nearly a 
 
 million pounds worth. Kino impregnated 
 
 bark of the red gum is being increasingly used 
 
 by local tanners, and the fact that the raw 
 
 material can be procured in enormous quan- 
 tities and without destroying the trees makes 
 
 this one of the most important of our forest 
 
 problems. 
 
 TIMBER 
 
 Karri llio ;4i:mt nf our fortsts 
 ill sonic cases c.\ccc<ls a lici^'il 
 of 300 feet and a girth of AO feci, 
 and is branclilcss for the first 
 l(,n feet. K.-irri is cliietly used 
 for siiperstnu'tural work
 
 o8
 
 The Conservator of Forests is of opinion that 
 sound investigation by a qualified leather chemist 
 should result in the discovery of the best system 
 of treating this powerful tanning agent to render 
 it satisfactory for tanning heavy hides, and. once 
 solved, there is no reason why blended tanning 
 extracts should not be produced and a large ex- 
 port trade developed. 
 
 -N;iliiic is ifsloring iii.inv of l\\v cul out areas 
 
 Tlic liaiKlM)int hlackhiitt wliicli intersperses tlie jartali 
 
 59
 
 1. Felling a jjiant 
 4. The sawmill 
 
 ti.\ihi-;k .Mn,i,ixc, 
 
 _'. Hauling to the tramway 3. A bush siding 
 
 5. Breaking down 6. Street paving blocks for London 
 
 m
 
 From the Far East comes a demand for our sandalwood, 
 uhicli is used for carving images and for ornamental work. 
 In the early days, the sandalwood getter was the pioneer of 
 civilisation in many districts, and a substantial industry has_ 
 been built up. The year 1919 proved the iiKjst valuable 
 recorded. Shipments during the twelve months totalled 
 8,998 tons worth £1 17,072, 
 which brought the total 
 exports to date to 321,369 
 tonsof a value of £2,827,305. 
 The timber, on distillation, 
 gives a yield of about tun 
 per cent, of sandalwood oil. 
 For this product, which 
 last year amounted to 3,72U lbs., there is a ready market. 
 
 Minor forest products, of which there are many, form a 
 source of potential wealth which has never been properly ex- 
 ploited. The Commonwealth Institute of Science and Industry 
 has recommended the establishment of a forest products 
 laboratory in Western Australia, and the State Government 
 has agreed to assist the Federal enterprise by providing a site 
 at Crawley and £5.000 towards the cost of the building. Thus 
 aided by science, our forest industry bids fair to attain a full 
 realisation of its undoubted capabilities. 
 
 6L
 
 Our hewn jarrah raihvay sleepers are used in all corners of the earth 
 
 1 vvuw.- ( 
 
 I''ire\voo(l cutting on U\v ( "loUUields 
 
 62
 
 The Homtstead
 
 I ,lini(jn> chivLs .lii. lu In: hail lliiimi;h lliL liiiLsl.s ul tin. South-West 
 
 64i
 
 FRUITGROWING 
 
 Spying mil a lioldinj 
 
 H E o!\-liaid areas 
 of the State lie 
 chiefly within the 
 South- West Di- 
 vision where soil 
 and climate com- 
 bine to make the 
 CO ml i tions for 
 horticulture perfect. Apples, pears, 
 plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, 
 fit^s, oran.i^^es, lemons, L;rapes. mul- 
 berries, strawberries, passion fruit, 
 quinces, loquats, olives, and Cape 
 gooseberries .s^row in profusion and 
 yield prolific crops. Cherries, plan- 
 tains, walnuts, almonds, and other 
 varieties are also cultivated ; in fact 
 there is hardly a fruit of temperate 
 or sul^-tropical climes that does 
 not flourish somewhere in Western 
 Australia. 
 
 Most widely cultivated of all is 
 the apple. Throughout the South 
 and South- West areas it throws mag- 
 nificently — faultless in form, rich in 
 colour, unsurpassed for flavour. 
 
 65 
 
 )'ariii ami oiclianl at lialingiip
 
 1 ^300 worth of apples 
 
 THK I.rSCIorS AFFILE 
 2. Packed for I^ondon 3. A heavy crop 
 
 4. H ilt-mile avenues of apple trees 
 
 w
 
 B;K"k ill the iluys nf the i^^ild budm, fiuitcrrowint^ was I'L'stricted 
 t<j a trilliii.t,^ area of a couple oi tliousaiul acres, that is exclusive 
 of ffrape vines. With the stimulus of a heavier consumption 
 consequent upon a sreatlx- 
 a u i: m e n t e d population, 
 steady expansion fdllowed. 
 and by 1909 the area 
 devoted to the industry 
 had increased sevenfold. 
 
 Meanwhile, production had overtakL-n the local demand and 
 growers, with envious eyes on the highly remunerative Lond'Ui 
 market, had tried their luck with a few experimental consign- 
 ments. So satisfactory were the results that commercial lots 
 were forwarded — 9,000 cases in 1910, 28,000 cases in 19!! — 
 and Western Australia, against all Australia, had the gratification 
 of securini;- the Ivst prices for apples. 
 
 Groves 
 
 splashfd witli 
 
 the gold 
 
 of 
 
 rilJLuiiif; 
 
 onmtrcs 
 
 67
 
 liridsftowii — prosiieroiis fniil growing ceil I it 
 
 ^'\^:5?;' 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 iprrt" 
 
 
 
 i^M 
 
 
 ^H 
 
 m 
 
 9 
 
 
 KlWjB 
 
 m^m 
 
 \'iiif cultmtr 
 
 68
 
 Such siiinal success inspired a better appreciiitinn of the 
 capabilities of the industry. The area imw under fruit com- 
 prises 23,400 acres. Of this nearly one-half is planted with 
 apple trees. The trend of the industry is towards buildin,? up 
 what in the near future promises to be a very lari;:e export trade, 
 in this respect the last season was a record for the State. 
 Between July of last year and April of this year shipments to 
 countries outside Australia totalled 196,273 cases of which 
 177,446 cases were sent to Enijland. One steamer, the "' Wilt- 
 shire," lifted 50,142 cases. 
 
 The apples from this State have j^ained an excellent name 
 in the overseas markets. The prices realised in London, where 
 the fruit is sold in competition with tlKit from tlie Eastern 
 States, are usuall} hi.uher by is. to 2s. per case than those for 
 the product of the other States. 
 
 Outside of the English markets the principal places to which 
 Iruit is sent are Sourabaya and Singapore, though Hung Kong, 
 C(jlombo, Durban, and Mauritius also share in the trade. 
 
 f lalliciiiii; the liarCcsl 
 
 ()i)
 
 Clioice samples — Figs grow to perfection 
 
 An export variety 
 
 A dozen orani;es on one stem
 
 The vine industry, wiiich if)t 
 many years was practically at a 
 standstill, has during the last 
 few years given evidence of a 
 distinct forward movement. Last 
 year tlie make of wine was 
 200,UU0 gallons. The raisin and 
 currant industry is receiving con- 
 siderable attention, particularly 
 by returned soldiers. In ad- 
 dition to the export of fresh 
 fruits, tile exp(»rt of dried fruits, 
 particularly currants, shouKl in 
 a few years assume large pro- 
 portions. 
 
 The importance of the fruit 
 State's producing interests may be gauged by the fact that 
 the animal return is now v/ell over half a million sterlintr. 
 
 TIh' vine iiuliistrv 
 
 71
 
 Kottiit'St Island- 
 once a penal station, 
 now a popular holiday resort
 
 rtarlinj; l-'ket in a LTc-ck 
 
 ESTER N AUSTRALIA ri'< 'duces more than 
 one-half of the world's supply of pearl shell 
 l.4()() out of a total of 2,U()(J tons. Our 
 pearling,' dates back to the early tifties. It 
 had its commencement at Shark Bay. whence 
 operaticjus extend northwards to Broome, the 
 commercial base of the industry. 
 
 The pioneers enga.tjed in hand picking and 
 dred.uini;, and in later years the returns from beachcmnbinu' and 
 naked diving by aborigines financed many a Northern settler 
 through the early years of pastoral enterprise. Nowadays the 
 naked diver is not employed. The e.xploitation of the beds is 
 carried on systematically and extensively, and the industry ranks 
 prominently among the State's activities. 
 
 The maximum production, reached in 191.1 14. represented 
 a value of 1-S4,i)i)() for pearls and i;-23 7.'»»<> for pearl shell. The 
 industry suffered serious dislocation during the war, but the 
 Government came to the rescue of the pearlers with guarantees 
 of advances, under the influence of which buyers materially 
 increased their prices. Thus assisted, the industry was success- 
 fully tided over the period of the war. Since then operations 
 have been vigorously resumed, and. with high prices for shell still 
 ruling, the outlook for the industry was never brighter. 
 
 PEARLING 
 
 73
 
 Broome 
 Pearling scenes 
 
 74
 
 Broome 
 Pfarliiij; scenes 
 
 ^:^^s^ 
 
 75
 
 INDUSTRIES 
 
 Jam niaking, fruit preserving, etc., 
 is a growing industry 
 
 ri 
 
 
 'i'.J :4 
 
 Our sixteen flourniills made 
 
 UU.IKKI tons of (lour 
 
 in the vear 
 
 Tlie vintage was nearly .'(jD.iiliii gallons 
 the output of nine wineries. 
 
 7<i
 
 Siiperphosphatf- for tlie fanner 
 is in iniifactured locally 
 
 Sail il(.])osils of (.■xccllcnl (luality 
 
 are found at Rottnest, Ksperniice, 
 
 find Port Gregory (north of Geraldton) 
 
 Apiciiltnrc has shown an inipnivcnunt 
 if _'ii per cent, in tlu- last four xcars. 
 rhe take of honey for the year was 4hi,0im 11) 
 
 Donnyl.rook in tlie Sciutli West 
 
 supplies freestone of sni)erior 
 
 (juality for oily arehiteetun
 
 state IiiipleiiiLHt 
 and KngiiieeiiiiS Works, 
 established in 1912, 
 keep a check on prices 
 of agricultnral machinery 
 
 .„^ 
 
 State Saw INIills Department 
 
 is operating six mills 
 
 and two powellising plants 
 
 State-owned copper smelters at Ravensthorpe 
 treat ores won mainly nnder 
 pi iniitivc mining conditions 
 
 Government 
 
 Railway Workshops, 
 
 Midland Jnnction, 
 
 manufactnre 
 
 and maintain 
 
 locomotives and 
 
 rolling stock 
 
 78
 
 i'.i.iMi'si-;s i)|- Tin-; xorth-wkst 
 
 '■ '-"^^ '"''- -'• lliinlin;; Rivrr in llo.ul S. The ttMiiistcrs d iu.<j!iU-r 4. A woolsht-.l in Hit- lroi)ic.s 
 
 5. Black ami wliiu 0-7. Sliips of tlie desert 8. A coastal settlement
 
 80
 
 
 
 
 
 81
 
 A 1 iM I in Ihe tropics— Geike gorge, 200 miles up Uie iMtzroy 
 
 Port Hedland Towiislnp 
 
 
 (•S-f* 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^— 
 
 T « 
 
 
 .Jtf:-^' 
 
 y^jg^o- 
 
 A touch of the Orient. Broome, headquarters of the pearling industry 
 82
 
 
 < • 
 
 
 ^ ! 
 
 
 A'' 
 
 
 
 83
 
 THE 
 
 CAPITAL 
 
 CITY 
 
 APPED by the broad blue reaches of the 
 estuarine head of the Swan, girt with a 
 background of partial embrace by the ceru- 
 lean slopes of the Darling Range, with Mt. 
 Eliza and Its thousand acres of park reared 
 like a sheltering promontory toward the 
 seaward side — In this picturesquely varied 
 setting stands the fair City of Perth. 
 
 SmaH though it be in contrast to the general run of capital 
 cities, what Perth lacks in size it surely makes up for in charm 
 of location. Viewed from the river, the prospect is always 
 pleasing ; glimpsed from coigns of vantage on the heights of 
 King's Park, the city presents itself in vistas of entrancing beauty.
 
 » 
 
 HJSBai>iLB^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 Pertli from King's Park
 
 Judged by the standards of modern town planning, the 
 
 capital doubtless falls short of the ideal ; measured by the 
 
 facilities, comforts, and natural advantages 
 
 that go to make life more than bearable, 
 
 it might well evoke the envy of many 
 
 an older and more populous city. 
 
 St. George's Terrace, 
 Perth 
 
 When municipal government supplanted town trust control 
 in 1871, Perth was an unpretentit)us town of some four thousand 
 inhabitants, and a town it remained until the goldfields' pros- 
 perity of the stirring nineties inspired growth and dignity 
 befitting the chief city of the State. 
 
 86
 
 Climatically, Perth is happily circum- 
 stanced. Its winters are mild yet invigor- 
 ating, its summers, though often driving 
 the mercury into three figures, are seldom 
 trying, thanks to a lack of atmospheric 
 humidity which in many countries makes 
 a much lower temperature decidedly more 
 enervating. Thanks alscj to the regularity 
 of the calls of Mr. South- West Wind- 
 colloquially termed the " Fremantle doc- 
 tor" the post meridian liours of the 
 warmest days are usually tempered with 
 refreshing zephyrs. 
 
 And between the two main seasons, 
 Spring and Autumn give a succession of 
 
 4 
 
 Queen Victoria .Statue, 
 King's Park 
 
 genial days when 
 "to be alive is 
 very joy." Add to 
 this a keen otlicial 
 appreciation of the 
 hygienic needs of 
 an up-to-date city 
 and you have the 
 other great essen- 
 tial that makes 
 Perth one of the 
 healthiest and 
 most desirable 
 places to live in. 
 
 South -Vfricati Soldicr.s' Memorial, KitiK's Park
 
 » 
 
 ..«rti!l 
 
 i£2 
 
 111 «Si *."< 
 
 ii] ISI rrt 
 
 fiiiifijiilii'ifliinri! 
 
 m I I '• 
 
 f J 1 1 
 
 •1 [ff I I .•.%*-.|- 
 
 ti. 
 
 A.M.y. Buildings 
 
 Pcilh Town Hall 
 
 Masonic Temple 
 
 Within the last twenty-five years Perth has been prac- 
 tically rebuilt, and the metamorphosis has been complete. 
 Buildings which had met the needs of the previous half century 
 have given place to structures both commodious and imposing. 
 To-day its banks, insurance offices, warehouses, commercial 
 chambers, emporiums, clubs, churches, and public institutions 
 stand a monument to the progressiveness, enterprise, and con- 
 fidence of their builders, while architecturally many of the 
 structures go far to supplement the natural beauties of the city. 
 
 88
 
 1. Section of Government office?. 
 J. Museum and Art Gallerv 
 
 i'i;ktii AKCiriTi-;cTrKi-: 
 
 3. Tlie Royal Mint 
 
 4. Kmanuel Buildings and Surrey Cliaml)ers 
 
 89 
 
 T. ami (.", . Chambers
 
 Government House 
 
 Government House, the officiiil residence of His Majesty's 
 representative, is prettily situated to overlook Perth water. It 
 dates back to 1859, though in later years a ballroom and suppei- 
 rooni were added. The present Houses of Parliament, as yet 
 incomplete, are a creation of the present century. The Town 
 Hall was opened exactly fifty years ago, its designers, with an 
 eye to utility, having planned the public hall on the hrst lloor 
 and market places underneath. The Mint, Public Library, Museum 
 and Art Gallery are noteworthy piles, and the new General Post 
 OfTice, situated near the Railway Station and now approaching 
 completion, will be an acquisition to that part of the city. 
 
 Houses of I'.irlianient 
 
 90
 
 91
 
 Aesthetically, Perth has been kept well abreast of the times. 
 Of its chief show place— King's Park— the people are justly 
 proud. The once low-lying foreshore at the river gate has 
 
 Avenue of ttoweriii.t; S""is, King's Pavk 
 
 been reclaimed and converted into spacious recreation grounds, 
 and carriage drives have been constructed along the full length 
 of the river frontage. 
 
 I.andscape garden, King's Park 
 
 92
 
 Queen's Gardens, Perth 
 
 Numerous reserves, whicli 
 in the not distant past were 
 little more than sandy wastes, 
 have been phxnted, grassed, and 
 ornamented, providing beauty 
 spots for the enjoyment of the 
 people and ministering to those 
 sometimes condemned sporting 
 procHvities so dear to the hearts 
 of all Australians. 
 
 C",o%ernnient 
 Gardens 
 
 93
 
 94
 
 PORTS 
 
 A l)usy (lay at I-icmaiitk 
 
 (()NS1DERING the im- 
 m e n s e coastline ( > f 
 Western Australia, tiie 
 li arbours are not 
 numerous. The Fre- 
 niantle harbour, at the 
 mouth (if the Swan 
 River, th()U,i;:h artificial, 
 is amont;- the most efticient of the Com- 
 monwealth. It is the first port of call for 
 mail steamers from Europe and the last 
 port of call for vessels proceeding to 
 Europe. Its trade fit^ures bear favourable 
 comparison with those of other Aus- 
 tralian ports. 
 
 Sliiiiping wlK'at 
 
 Berthing a mail steamer at Victoria yuay 
 
 95
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^-^ss--- 
 
 
 
 ^*" 
 
 
 
 
 '-^ 
 
 i^ 
 
 & 
 
 
 ^si^lb^^lQ^, 
 
 
 m 
 
 
 
 
 
 '^^'^^ 
 
 
 KSpP 
 
 s,i^- - 
 
 
 m 
 
 - 
 
 -:- 
 
 -"^^iSlHttiilftjMitku, 
 
 Albany Harbour 
 One of the most spacious and beautiful deep-water liarbours of the world 
 
 ■r.'^T^s'. rtrrr-. — -t^-iu 
 
 Geraldton — some 
 200 miles north of 
 Fremantle — is the 
 port of the Murchi- 
 son pastoral and 
 mineral areas and 
 the rich Greenough 
 flats. 
 
 C.eraldton Jetty 
 
 97
 
 98
 
 .jUiM^^iJUU 
 
 Alons the North- West 
 coast there are many ports. 
 but their use is controlled 
 by tides, the rise and fall 
 being as much as 46 feet at 
 King's Souni.1. Vessels tie up 
 at North- West jetties at flood 
 tide, and several hours later are' 
 high and dry on the sand. 
 
 99
 
 RAILWAYS 
 
 Mibwrb.iii >^ervlce 
 
 HE first railway, a mndeS-t iXmiles of track, 
 connecting Northampton with its port of 
 Geraldton, was completed forty years a.mo. 
 Two years later the Metropolitan-Suburban 
 system was inaugurated with lines from Perth 
 to Fremantle on the West and Perth to 
 Guildford on the East. From these small 
 beginnings have grown the present system, 
 consisting of 3,539 miles of State-owned railways. 
 
 In addition there is the Midland Company's line of 277 uiiles 
 joining the Metropolitan and Northern lines owned by the 
 State, and the Commonwealth railway of 1,651 miles links the 
 Western and South Australian systems. The capital cost of 
 our State railways is eighteen millions sterling. 
 
 Ct'iilral Kailwav Slalion, I'cilli
 
 C/;il;i clay on the Swaii
 
 lOJ
 
 HE systt'iii lit education, beiiii;' free from tlio 
 infant school to the University, practically 
 attains Huxley's ideal of "a srreat educational 
 ladder with one end in the tjutter and the 
 otiier in the University." Primary education 
 is compulsory between the a^es of six and 
 fourteen, and special provision is made to 
 ensure that children in the sparsely populated 
 ureas shall not lack, its benefits. 
 
 Though secondary education is largely catered for by 
 private establishments, the Gt)vernment have in the Perth 
 Modern School an institution which bridges the uap between 
 the advanced primary school and the University. 
 
 Teclmical education is not confined to the metropolis, but 
 wherever sufficient numbers can be obtained to form classes 
 there a branch of the technical school is inau.iiurated, and an 
 of^-shoot has been the creation of continuation classes to provide 
 instruction for youths between the a.ues of fourteen and ei.uhteen. 
 To auti'ment the State's teachini;' staff, a trainin;::' college i;ives 
 a three years' course to candidates selected by competitive 
 examination. 
 
 The University, still in its infancy and unable as yet to 
 boast an imposin.n' permanent home, is ,uraduall\- approaching 
 the noal of full establishment. Soi)n it is hoped to add Chairs 
 of Medicine and Law so that Westralian boys and liirls need not 
 tio outside their own State to graduate in the learned professions. 
 Amonj;' other educational institutions supported by the 
 State are the Public Library, which contains i lo.ooo books, and 
 the Museum and Art Gallery, which have exhibits worth JL;8u,()00. 
 
 EDUCATION 
 
 ChiL-f tLiilic of luchiiical in.struction 
 
 103
 
 ^ l« 
 
 i^Jt^.l^i'^***'' 
 
 Type of School in small settlements 
 
 Training College, Claremont 
 
 ini.
 
 J or,
 
 .Suspended Tal)le in the I^ake Cave 
 
 S<iulli rerth, Ircnn KiiiLi's I'ai k 
 
 10)
 
 i;<.autiliil Cave forniations 
 
 Haiiuau Street, K il« inrli..-— Ihe principal tlioio i,i;lifare ia tlie DeMcrt City 
 
 1(17
 
 Zoological Gardens, 
 South Perth 
 
 lOH
 
 'd^t^S-^:^ 
 
 
 l-,\cil.i-.lniL;> in.uilk lluc..iiiiU\ U-i link 
 
 
 H^^^^^^^^RrTvT'^^^v^T^H 
 
 
 PiP||P|P\\v-l'. k'.^ ilST^H 
 
 ^^^^^^t^^^^^K^^fMMf-^'v^ 
 
 ^^^I^bEv'.ivv(>'4.^^^h^^«h^HH 
 
 
 ''Yi. ^^^^^1 
 
 ^^■ife-'-U^ "" ■'" ~ '"'■ -,*>•: '^•■^- 
 
 nngn^
 
 t. 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 \r 
 
 • 't ' 
 
 *. 
 
 < 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 V 
 
 '.-waSe 
 
 
 
 " '* v -■ 
 
 wl 
 
 
 .•l'l 
 
 no
 
 Ill
 
 BY AUTHORl 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTER. 
 PERTH. W.A.
 
 A 000 086 94