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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

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APPENDIX X.
Parishes of Malompto and Terragomna

      The parishes of Malompto and Terragomna which are most
conveniently treated together, are bounded on the west by Lerunna
and Riengeena, are two practically undeveloped parishes containing
about sixty-five square miles all scrub or timber country. The
only alienated land is fronting on the Roger River, in the south
east of Malompto, where about 700 acres are held, but throughout
the area about 16000 acres are held under timber lease, and 3800
acres, including the best land in the parish of Terragomna is
dedicated as a Forest Reserve. Many thousands of acres of this
country would have been selected if available, but most of it was
withdrawn from selection on the 30.5.11, partly in connection with
a proposed railway, and partly to permit road construction and
other facilities catching up with the very large areas already
selected. Shortly after, the best of the land was taken under
timber lease, and although most of these leases have been renewed,
none of them are shown as having been abandoned. The north eastern
portion of Malompto is not very thoroughly explored but consists
generally of low hills of grey soil somewhat similar to the
adjoining land in Togari, but with some very poor gravelly country
at the southern end. This higher land probably about 300 feet
above sea level is bounded on the W. S. and E. by the flats of
Brittons Swamp, Montagu River and Duck River and branches, respect-
ively, which adds to its usefulness as change of country as
the district develops. Joining this area on the west, is the southern
portion of Britton's Swamp, about 4,000 acres of good swamp land,
similar to the portion in Togari to which it is attached by a
narrow neck about half a mile wide and on the parish boundary.
The soil is variable ranging from sandy loam to clayey soil and
vegetable mould, and is of very similar quality to much of Mowbray
Swamp. There is probably a divide about the parish boundary and
the southern portion would appear to drain into the Montagu River,
but the whole swamp is very flat without well defined streams.
West of Britton's Swamp, the flat appears to contain a dense belt
of heavy bauera scrub, with old peppermint and a little pine, manuka
etc. and similar country extended for over two miles along my recent

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APPENDIX X.
Malompto & Terragomna (2)

exploration line, but two different lines cut by Mr. Lovell passed
through areas of largely good or second class quality, between
these points. Heavy bauera and peppermint country occurs on the
north of Etchells and Boote's leases, further south again, and I
consider most of this portion of the parish is inferior swamp, or
flat, of little value to the Lands Department, and less still to the
Forestry Department. This generally poor country would appear to
extend in a belt right across the parish to within half a mile of
the Roger River, but in such variable country almost anything may
occur. South and adjoining this poor belt, the country is fair to
good from about a mile north of the boundary between the parishes,
but there is an area of poor very wet country a little south and
west of Moore's lease, probably covering about 1,000 acres. The
balance of the flat country between Lunta Tier and the Meryanna
hills is consistently of fair quality. By Mr. Pitt's report, all
the south west of Terragomna is grey hilly country, 300 to 400 feet
above sea level, similar in quality and carrying the usual stringy
bark, dogwood, musk, laurel fern and cathead. I am well acquainted
with the eastern side – the Lunta Tier – from below Langford's Creek
where it starts from the Arthur River, round to the N.W. angle of
the Parish, a distance of about six miles, and have found it of
consistently fair or good country, from second to first class,
generally the latter. About the centre of the western boundary
of Terragomna, Mr. Pitt reports about 1,000 acres of poor
horizontal flat at the head of the Salmon River, which would leave
about 8,000 acres of this fair grey high country. It contains a
fair amount of stringy bark timber but the great majority of the
trees are old and of no commercial value. A few blackwoods occur,
and also large sassafras, leatherwood and myrtle, the latter, as a
rule, unsound. The whole of the remainder of Terragomna is either
flat or swampy and about 100 to 150 feet above sea level.
This flat is about 200 chains wide in a direct line between the points
where the enclosing hills run into the Arthur River, but twice that
distance following the river bank, which is here about 100 feet
above sea level. The flat extends on for the same width across the

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APPENDIX X.
Malompto and Terragomna (3)

Arthur River into the County of Russell, and several thousand acres
of similar good quality carrying a fine bed of blackwood is located
here, although its full extent appears to be unknown.
      The Arthur River which drains all the high country with
heavy rainfall, between the watershed of the Pieman and of the
rivers falling into Bass Strait, with a recorded average at Waratah
of 86 inches per annum, carries an immense volume of water in flood
time, and will undoubtedly be used for the development of hydro-
electric power. The river flows between steep hills both above and
below the Terragomna flat, where it is from two to three chains wide,
and the river bed generally 15 to 20 feet below the level of the
country. In time of heavy flood, the river naturally overflows
its banks, and backs up the creeks, but this is not a very frequent
occurrence, nor would it have much effect on developed country, as
the water is very slack when spread out so far. Even if the effects
of the flood were serious, it could easily be relieved as the "Great
Bend" of the river is 120 chains round and about seven chains across
a flat neck of land, through which the river could be diverted at
small expense. The Terragomna flat extends northerly to Bass Strait
and can be followed without any perceptible rise or fall, either
down the broad Roger-Duck River Valley to Smithton, through Brittons
Swamp and Fixters Creek to the Montagu, or down the wide Montagu
flats to the sea, and there is good reason to believe that the
Arthur River formerly flowed along one of these routes, probably
down the Duck River, a theory strongly supported by the fact that
the Arthur is the only Tasmanian river not now flowing into Bass
Strait in which blackfish are indigenous. This theory gives an
interesting explanation of the origin of the large areas of rich
alluvial swamp, and flat country, in the far North West, and is of
the greatest importance in considering the allocation of all this
country, as it drives home the fact of the very exceptional
facilities for roading and general transport, as well as the unique
level route to the country south of the Arthur, provided by these
old level river flats, running back as they do for over 25 miles
in a direct line from the Coast. The Railway survey from Trowutta

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APPENDIX X.
Malompto and Terragomna (4)

terminus to Balfour has provided a line of levels across this valley,
and the three cross sections shown on the litho prove that there would be
no difficulty in draining these flats where necessary. The
surveyed route of the Balfour railway crosses the Roger nearly
four miles from the terminus and an extension of a total of 8½
miles to the Arthur river, must surely eventuate, as there are large
quantities of timber to bring along it, good possibilities for
agricultural and pastoral development both here, and beyond the
Arthur, and the chance of mineral development in the the country extend-
ing back to the Pieman River, for which this is the natural outlet,
and from which gold, galena, tin and copper, iron ore etc. have been
reported. I consider there is from 3,000 to 10,000 acres of first
and second class flat or swampy land in the parish of Terragomna
and the southern edge of Malompto, with 3,000 acres of poor or
doubtful country. A large proportion of the good country is of
very high quality especially the good alluvial flats near the Arthur
River, which were recently included in a State Forest dedication
of 3,800 acres, and which in my opinion, taking all the circumstances
into consideration, includes some of the most desirable unalienated
land in the State, the dedication of which for many reasons is
economically unsound. In connection with this particular area I
would ask that the Board should obtain, and carefully consider a
report, dated 31.8.26, from the District Surveyor, to the Secretary
for Lands, upon the proposed dedication of this and two other
fertile areas in adjoining parishes which which covers only some of the
vital reasons, why this area should not have been dedicated, and I
would remind the Board that since this was written 130,000 acres of
adjoining land, containing all classes of country, and even similar
land to the flat in question has been handed over to a private
company for 50 years, without any examination, other than a few
weeks' exploration by an officer of the Forestry Department. Being
a key block and a natural road centre nearly all traffic to the
country south of the Arthur will have to pass through this 3,800
acres of forest, and the Swamp country, to the North, will have to
be drained through it. The Montagu River, which takes its rise

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APPENDIX X.
Malompto and Terragomna (5)

in the basaltic hills of Trowutta, east of these flats, enters the
north east of Terragomna as a small creek, and generally dividing
into several streams which again spread out, and lose themselves
about a mile from the hills. From here, nearly down to the
Marrawah tram, it is not much more than a swampy depression in which
water is seldom found in summer, for miles at a stretch, but which
may be five or ten chains wide during the remainder of the year.
Several other streams rise in the same hills but find their way down
the flat into the Arthur, but the western side of the Montagu is
kept in a swampy state by a score or more of small creeks originating
in springs along the Lunta Tier. The drainage of the basin between
Christmas Hills, Trowutta and the Lunta Tier would be a simple
matter, as all the streams could be collected or diverted before
entering the flat, leaving only surface water to deal with. The
rainfall would range about fifty or sixty inches, and the higher
country is very well served by creeks which would also water the low
country when confined to permanent channels. The elevation ranges
from 100 to about 400 feet, with a mean of probably under 200 feet
and there would be rainfall of 50 or 60 inches and a mild
temperature in the two parishes, is only one formed road - portion
of the Balfour road, which is formed for about a couple of miles
near the Roger, the remaining portion being not much more than a
track, as far as the Arthur River bridge. The Arthur River sawmill
on McDonald's lease, is connected with the Trowutta railway station
by a wooden tram on the line of the proposed Balfour railway, and
their bush tram extends to the Arthur at Langford's Creek. The
Christmas Hills-Marrawah road, laid out by Mr. Pitt, passes for a
couple of miles through the north western corner of Malompto, and
these two roads are the natural main arteries of western Circular
Head. The intervening country is so easy that it can almost be
roaded in the most approved theoretical system, as grades are almost
negligible, except in the north east and south west, and about 4/5
of the parishes is within four miles of one of the roads. The
Malompto boundary, on the east, ranges from 3 to 4 miles from the
Trowutta railway station, and if the Timber Amalgamation actively

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APPENDIX X.
Malompto and Terragomna (6)

develop their 130,000 acre concession south of the Arthur River,
and work it in a bona fide manner, the freight should warrant the
Government extending the line as surveyed through the Roger River
closer settlement area on to the Arthur River, which would develop
a large area of this fine country. More than half of these parishes
are within four miles of the surveyed extension and about seven-
eighths within six miles, whilst the balance, with the exception of
less than 1,000 acres, is within six miles of either the Marrawah
or Welcome Valley line. Whether the extension is built in the near
future or delayed until after the development of the country, it is
evident that this country can be opened up easily and will involve
a very short radius for transport of produce from the adjacent
country.

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