Page:Scented isles and coral gardens- Torres Straits, German New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies, by C.D. Mackellar, 1912.pdf/45

Rh the riff-raff of the world, the gone-under ones, the adventurous ones, and the many whose past is a mystery. Here, indeed, in the Gulf of Carpentaria is a place they call Dead Man's Land, where many men who died, and some who were even buried, are living—I have heard many strange tales.

But also Australia holds many of the fittest some born here, others who rose above their crippling surroundings at home and escaped into an atmosphere where they can breathe and where there is space to move, and scope for the energies and enterprise dormant at home.

These people on the ship meant only to be friendly and kind, and were pleased when anything interested or amused me. I am not likely to forget it.

All is rather primitive up here, and people who do not live amidst crowds or others are much more natural and kindly, and are devoid of all airs and affectations.

A great future probably awaits Port Darwin in the Northern Territory, and all that Australian coast. The harbour is a fine one, which large ships may enter at any state of the tide. Palmerston, the town, has large Government buildings, and behind it lie great tracts of fine land. I wonder how many people realise that the Northern Territory of South Australia is equal in size to Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy combined, and that it contains 335,116,800 acres, and has but a very small population. Yet land is obtained on very easy terms. It was annexed by South Australia in 1863. Nor is this part of North Australia without its history, there being evidence that the coast was known as early as 1512 to the Portuguese, and it is claimed by some that it was discovered by De Gonneville, who