.   .   OR  .   . A Holiday Trip to the Abrolhos Islands. By W. B. CHRISTIE. 1909. Constantine and Gardner, Printers....

The editor of the “Geraldton Guardian” has to acknowledge with thanks the author’s courtesy in supplying him with the following interesting account of a trip to the Abrolhos Islands for publication in that paper. It has been suggested that their re-publication in booklet form might do much to advertise these islands as a holiday resort, and Mr. Christie courteously gave his permission, hence this unpretentious booklet. THE INNOCENTS ABROAD....

(By W. B. Christie.) “What shall we do with ourselves during the holidays?” was a question put by one to another amongst a dozen or so of the new and old residents of Geraldton a few weeks ago. “What about the Abrolhos?” someone suggested. The idea caught on, and Mr. George Baston volunteered the use of has fishing boat the “While-away” to take a party of us for a cruise round the islands. The offer was accepted. The provisioning arrangements were left in the hands of Mr. Baston. We were all to

The channel narrowed till it was not more than three hundred yards or so wide. Pigeon Island lay on our left, with deep water right up to its precipitous rocky bank. The island is one rocky coral mass, with scarce a sign of vegetation. Its surface is covered with mounds of rocks thrown together or built into rough walls gleaming white in the sun, and we are told that these stones were built up as they were removed from the deposit of guano which was worked here. Sixteen hundred tons of this usef

The Post Office—Weather bound—Home. Wherever one looks from Wallaby Island, little rocky islets stand out from the coral plateau, and many of them can be waded to. West Wallaby is another good-sized island a mile and a half or so from our camp. There is, however, a deep fissure-like channel between it and us, and the distance is somewhat great to wade on the sharp, coral bottom which intervenes. At low tide this rocky plateau is almost level with the water, but we found plenty of oysters on the

Although there are few places on the Australian coast where one can spend a more enjoyable summer holiday than the Abrolhos, both on account of the free and “simple life” they afford, and the great historic interest they possess as being the scene of the final catastrophe which befel the Dutch attempt to colonise Australia in 1629 under the unfortunate Pelsart, the islands themselves are of peculiar interest, and have given rise to much speculation as to their origin. They are all composed entir

Another point which forcibly strikes an observant visitor to the Abrolhos, is that the mass of most of the islands is composed of dead coral with scare a trace of soil except when the guano deposits have, in a few localities, become mixed with the wind-blown sand, which has enriched such patches so that they now grow stunted shrubs, and on the richer of these patches a species of wild oats, and silver grass, both of which have evidently been introduced. This is specially noticeable on Rat Island