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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

Well. 1a.1b.

APPENDIX VII.
V. D. L. Co's Woolnorth Block.
(1)

      Included on litho is the southeastern portion of the 100000
acre Woolnorth Block, owned by the Van Diemans Land Company, and
comprising the extreme northwest corner of the State, as shown by
the companys plan, with only their descriptions of quality etc. but
coloured in uniformity with the rest. Although this block is
alienated, and has been alienated for over a century, and perhaps
does not come under the scope of the board as Crown Land, yet it is
evident that the board could not effectively allocate the adjoining
Crown Land without having full information of the development and
potentialities of such an extensive area. It must also be of
vital importance in the roading of the adjacent lands, and in
connection with the future of the Marrawah Tramway which is within
a mile of fertile portions of the Woolnorth Block, for about 11
miles, half the distance from the Marrawah terminus to Mowbray
Swamp. The rich swamp lands of the Montagu and Welcome rivers
extending to the property and large areas can only be drained in
conjunction with the adjoining Crown Land. Today, the only road
access to the very important and fertile district of Marrawah, and
to the West Coast beyond, is by the sandy track, called by courtesy
a road, which passes for 20 miles through the Woolnorth Block.
The expensive Marrawah Tramway constructed to practically to
Railway standard for more than half its entire length on the northern
side, only serves a strip of good land three quarters of a mile wide,
up to the Woolnorth boundary, and must look beyond that boundary
for any further freight in that direction. There are large beds
of good stringy bark on the adjoining lands, and probably almost
the only good virgin beds of blackwood north of the Arthur River.
One good spur line running northerly from the Marrawah tram would
provide a base from which the timber beds could be tapped and
could run right through first and second class country to the farms
at west Montagu. Every year, as the timber was removed the land
could be settled and developed at little cost, by using the tram
as the main outlet, whilst the marketing of the timber, which
could be done at reasonable cost in this easy country, would provide
employment for the settlers and secure a constant revenue for the

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Well. 1a.1b.

APPENDIX VII.
V. D. L. Co's Woolnorth Block. (2)

tram. The eastern and southern portions could also be developed
by extensions of roads required to develop the good lands, which,
with the exception of the tongue of coastal claim along the Montagu
river, joins the block on each of these sides. Judging from the
V.D.L. Coy's survey there would be from 20,000 to 25,000 acres of
first and second class country, east of the Marrawah road, apparently
of fair average quality and some of it that I have seen is of equal
quality with the best of Mowbray Swamp capable of growing very heavy
root and other crops.
      I have been acquainted with the Woolnorth Block for over
25 years, but have never penetrated very far into the eastern portion,
and during that time the only improvement there, on about 40,000 acres
of land, has been a few hundred pounds spent by settlers who
have purchased a few small lots at enhanced rates, yet during the
same period the annual value of the municipality has trebled itself.
      The Main Coast Road is metalled through Smithton and Montagu
to the Montagu River about 2 miles from West Montagu which is
the northern limit of this timbered country, and which is also
only 6 miles from the 12 mile peg on the Marrawah tramway. The
extreme distance from the Montagu-Marrawah Road to the Marrawah tram
would be about 8 miles, so it would be an easy matter to open up
any good country here, which would have every advantage of elevation,
climate etc.
      West of the Montagu-Marrawah road the country is low, sandy
and open, with no timber and usually of third class quality, though
many of the low plains may prove useful lands when developed. The
Woolnorth station, at the west end of Bass Strait is surrounded by
excellent country, but on the whole neither the situation nor the
soil of the northwest portion would make it of the same economic
importance as the southeastern part, joining the Crown Lands.

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