South Australia

South Australia, with the recent addition of Alexandra Land, extends from the southern to the northern coast of the Australian continent, a distance of nearly 2,000 miles, and has an area of 903,690 square miles. It is divided from West Australia by the meridian of 129° E., from New South Wales by that of 141°, and from Queensland by that of 138°. The southern coast line of 1,500 miles is deeply indented by Spenser, St. Vincent, and other Gulfs, and the northern coast offers many harbours. Except the Murray, there are no navigable rivers, but the southern part is well watered by small streams, and has several fine lakes, e.g. Torrens, Alexandrina, Eyre, Gregory, etc. The surface is level or undulating, the Gawler Range (2,000 feet), Flinders' Range (3,000 feet), and Mt. Bryant being the greatest elevations. The soil is generally fertile, and yields cereals, roots, excellent fruits, wine, oil, and even rice, but droughts are of frequent occurrence, and irrigation is necessary. From this cause pastoral progress is less marked than in other colonies, though wool is an important product and cattle thrive in the north. The climate is peculiarly healthy, and invalids are often sent from England for the benefit of the warm dry air. Coal is scarce, but copper, silver-lead, gold, and iron with other metals have beeen most profitably worked. Valuable marbles, slates, and building stones are also quarried. Much effort has been made of late to bring the wines and the fresh and preserved fruits or the colony into the European market. The first settlements were made in 1836, and were happily unconnected with penal emigration. Adelaide, Port Gawler, Albert Town, Port Wakefield, Port Elliot, Germantown, and Kapunda are the chief centres.