Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/109

 squatting stations, and we passed through the run of Messrs. Gray and Nimmo, who rent it from Clark, the wealthy land-owner whose princely possessions serve as landmarks to the great city of Melbourne, even in these distant localities.

"The scenery now opened to our view was of the most pleasing description—park-like in character, and possessed of charms varied and attractive; here and there are seen fine thickly timbered forests, agreeably relieved by green, open plains, with small belts of trees, whose umbrageous branches offer protection to the shepherd in his pastoral occupations, and a safe shelter from the scorching rays of a summer's sun, as well as from the penetrating wet of an Australian shower, for it may truly be said of the colony in general, that 'it never rains but it pours.'

"With but little variation, the country presents the same appearance for several miles; it afterwards becomes more undulating; sometimes an extensive gentle slope shows itself, on which is simply required the erection of a suitable mansion to render it a fitting residence for the noblest of our aristocracy, nature having done almost everything necessary in the formation and arrangement of parks and pleasure-grounds.

"As we temporarily halted on one of these eminences, I could not but feel struck at the strange contrast with our warlike array, and the peaceful character of everything around. Not a human being was to be seen from whom any information could