Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/47

 from the wide range of sea formed by the inlet to Geelong, the westerly winds blow very fresh, and row-boats do not then venture much out From two to three hundred sail are constantly at anchor within the bay from every part of the world, and some of the largest and most beautiful ships can there be seen, presenting a most pleasing proof of the immense trade going on in the colony,—many steamers from Sydney, Hobart Town, Launceston, and New Zealand; also fresh arrivals are hourly entering the port, and departures leaving, deeply laden.

On the western point of Hobson's Bay is a lighthouse, alongside which a large mole is being made, extending more than three hundred yards into deep water; this is the Terminus of the Mount Alexander and the Melbourne and Geelong Railways. It is intended to continue this embankment along the shore facing Williamstown, so as to have sufficient space for vessels to lie alongside—a much more feasible undertaking than the pile wharf at Sandridge, as it is what sailors call on a weather shore, with a rocky foundation. The railway from hence to the city, though three times as long as the line on the opposite side of the bay, will be more available for trade, from the permanent security of the wharf, and its connexion by railway with the interior. The hitherto barren and naked appearance of Williamstown and its vicinity is fast changing into streets, pretty suburban cottages, and gardens; and an extensive plain spreads away some forty miles,