Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/188

 been worked have turned out very rich indeed; and if the expectations of the scientific are realized, it will prove the most lucrative in the colony. Samples have been assayed which turned out 400 ounces to the ton, but this, of course, is only from the richest specimens. The road from Steiglitz to Geelong is through the forest for nearly eight miles, and then across the plains to the fine farming district of Lower Marabool, and joins the Ballaarat road at Bellport Hill.

By a late paper from Bendigo, the richness of the quartz there found is extraordinary; the quartz reef on the Loliban is worthy of special notice, situated on the Kangaroo Creek, four miles above Malmesbury. There are five hundred miners employed there now, wood and water plentiful enough, and excellent food for horses. At the present moment there is considerable ignorance respecting quartz reefs; an association, therefore, to collect all the useful information for its true development and proper working has been formed, which will confer great benefit on all the quartz localities.

The local papers also inform us that at Wellington Gulley gold is found in considerable quantities; also on the reef of Clydesdale.

The Nelson reef opposite Sandhurst, and the ravine of the celebrated Eagle Hawk specimen hill, promise rich returns to the diggers. From the Mount Blackwood diggings we have the following intelligence:—