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Report on the Examination of Crown Lands etc. in the County of Wellington
Appendix I. Exploration, County of Wellington - From Roger River to Marrawah Plain
Appendix II. Exploration 5700 acres State Forest Reserve - Parish of Lerunna
Appendix III. Parish of Warra
Appendix IV. Parish of Marrawah
Appendix V. Parish of Lerunna
Appendix VI. Parish of Riengeena
Appendix VII. V.D.L. Co's Woolnorth Block
Appendix VIII. Parish of Williams
Appendix IX. Parish of Togari
Appendix X. Parishes of Malompto and Terragomna
Appendix XI. Parish of Mowbray
Appendix XII. Parish of Ford
Appendix XIII. Parish of Poilinna
Appendix XIV. Parish of Gibson
Appendix XV. Parishes of Trowutta and Meryanna
Appendix XVI. Hunters Islands

Wellington Litho 1a.

APPENDIX IV.
Parish of Marrawah

      The parish of Marrawah North and adjoining Warra, is bounded
on the East by Riengeena, on the North by 100,000 acres Woolnorth
block, granted to the V. D. L. Company and on the West by the ocean,
including the most Western point of the Tasmanian Mainland at West
Point where there is a lighthouse. The sea frontage is rough and
exposed and similar to Warra, but there is partial shelter for boats
at Green Point and produce has been shipped here but it is not a
practical port. The largest part of this parish amounting to 11,000
or 12,000 acres has been selected as first class land and is of very
high average quality, generally flat or slightly undulating country
of basaltic origin through which are many limestone outcrops. About
1,000 acres have been taken as second and third class as is the
remaining Crown Land about 10,000 acres in the South and West of the
parish. This country is usually almost level plains of heath,
titree and buttongrass, perhaps half more or less stony and the
balance very fine sand. Small belts of timber occur, chiefly stringy
bark of no commercial value but there is at least one isolated area
of good basaltic land within it. The "Black Bull" scrub selected
by Bolter, Horton and others – which contains some exceptionally
rich land, but even here the stringy bark does not approach in quality
or quantity the inland timber beds. With the exception of the one
small plain on the Arthur River in the Parish of Lerunna, there is no
open country south of the Marrawah tram between this coastal plain
on the West and a few small plains along the Duck River on the East,
so all the intervening country being scrub and timber generally capable
of high development will ensure a useful future for this open country,
as rough cattle run. Their value being enhanced by the mild
temperature and salt laden winds from the sea, at present up to about
1200 head of cattle are depastured on these runs between the North
Pieman and Marrawah and these runs should gradually improve although
the sand blows on the beaches have destroyed much good land in the past.
Although nearly the whole of the selected land at Marrawah is of
high quality, development has been very slow owing to past isolation
which almost prohibited agricultural operations – I have seen strong
teams of bullocks with small loads of produce travelling all night

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Wellington Litho 1a.

APPENDIX IV.
Parish of Marrawah (2)

across the sandy track of 20 miles to Montagu, as the cattle could not
stand the long journey in the heat of the day. It is now served
however by an efficient standard gauge tram, practically a railway,
running from a central terminus at Marrawah to the end of the State
Railway system at Smithton and a smaller branch, the Welcome Valley
line, runs five miles back just outside the Eastern boundary of the
parish. The completion of a metalled road direct to Smithton which
has been surveyed through 25 miles of country, ranging from second
class up to fair and even exceptionally rich land, will lead to
greater development in the future as the road is authorised under the
Federal Grant system. The parish of Marrawah although windy has a
mild even temperature and a rainfall of about 47 inches – rain fell
on 237 days last year which was a dry season. Marrawah is not as well
provided with running streams as other parts of the far North West
but there is quite sufficient for farming purposes. The elevation
ranges up to a maximum of 400 or 500 feet, with a mean of less than
half that height, and the country generally is flat or undulating
and could all be ploughed. The Parish is all within six miles in
a direct line from the tramlines and practically all the good country
is within four miles. The chief parish road, the Ring Road – is nearly
all metalled and opens up the country as a main road, but the branch
roads are very backward. There are two schools, two post offices
and two cheese factories in the Parish.

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