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Abstract

The River Gordon is about four miles distant from
Sarah Island. Its entrance is narrow, with a bar, upon
which there is a depth of water of about two fathoms,
deepening almost immediately to 10 fathoms. The entrance
to the river has now been well beaconed, and
renders navigation safe.
Following the Elliott Range eastward, we next
notice an elevated flat belt of open country, called the
High Plain. Across this plain came Sir John and Lady
Franklin and party, on their memorable overland
journey from Hobart in 1842, piloted by the late Mr.
James Erskine Calder, afterwards Surveyor-General of
Tasmania.
There is a fine outcrop of limestone at Limekiln
Reach, 12 miles from the river entrance, which in the
early days was quarried and burned by a party from the
Sarah Island establishment.
Pining was carried out in the Gordon and vicinity, and it will take at least a century for the young forest to mature again.
As roads are mostly non-existent, so trees are carried downstream by the river.
The source of the Gordon is in Lake Richmond.
under the shadow oi the King William Range, whence
it flows through picturesque surroundings in the
Rasselas Valley, making a long and graceful sweep
round Mount Wright, which is known as "The Great
Bend."
The preservation of scenery in other parts of the
world is receiving the greatest attention, and even in
England a society has been formed for the preservation
of Swiss scenery. How much greater is the necessity
existent in a country like Tasmania, relying so much
upon her tourist traffic, to preserve by every means
within her power attractions without which such a traffic
would diminish rather than increase, to the serious loss
of the state. One hesitates to put this selfish aspect of
the case before a learned society, but "necessity knows
no law." and, after all, a public awakening may be better
aroused by a proposition in this form rather than from
a more scientific standpoint.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Beattie, John Watt
Keywords:	Royal Society of Tasmania, Van Diemens Land, VDL, Hobart Town, natural sciences, proceedings, records
Journal or Publication Title:	Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
ISSN:	0080-4703
Collections:	Royal Society Collection > Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
Additional Information:	In 1843 the Horticultural and Botanical Society of Van Diemen's Land was founded and became the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land for Horticulture, Botany, and the Advancement of Science in 1844. In 1855 its name changed to Royal Society of Tasmania for Horticulture, Botany, and the Advancement of Science. In 1911 the name was shortened to Royal Society of Tasmania.
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