No. VIII.—Feb. 6th, 1869.

The only portion of the Ararat district that demands a more extended notice than that already given it, is Pleasant Creek. Shortly after the great rush to the Canton Lead, at Ararat, it came into prominent notice in consequence of the rich discoveries which were then being made there, and a rush to it ensued second only in importance to the one to the Canton itself. The rich alluvial leads, however, which once gave remunerative employment to thousands, and small fortunes to hundreds, are now almost entirely worked out, or have been lost in deep and wet sinking, where the prospects scarcely warrant the erection of expensive machinery, without which the ground cannot be worked. Pleasant Creek, fortunately for these interested in its progress, did not depend wholly upon the alluvial mines. It is perhaps the richest quartz reeling district in the whole colony, and the visitor is filled with astonishment at the rapid development of this important branch of mining industry, by which on every hand he is surrounded. With the two exceptions of Ballarat and Chines I saw nothing approaching the bustle and activity which prevails at Pleasant Creek throughout the whole of the districts I had previously visited; and even Chines, nourishing as it undoubtedly is, and important as it is rapidly becoming, is distanced by it. The township here is called "The Reefs." There is a Government township named "Stawell," about two miles off, but there are very few persons resident there. The great centre of attraction is "The Reefs," and not the least surprising thing to be witnessed here is the number of miners' dwellings now being built and which have recently been erected. The old calico tents—eight by ten—which kept out neither wind nor rain, have all gone, with many other things of the past gold-digging era, and in their places are to be found substantial and comfortable weatherboard cottages. Everything about tins place wears a substantial and permanent aspect never to be found at mere alluvial rushes. The inhabitants of Pleasant Creek, and especially the reefers, are a little egotistical; but for this they may be excused, since page 30 the development of the reefs is due almost solely to their own unaided efforts. The same men are to be found there now who were the pioneers of the place some thirteen years ago. A great many of them have done remarkably well, but instead of spending their money elsewhere, they invested it in prospecting the reefs by which they were surrounded; and as a reward for their enterprise, some of them are now reaping handsome fortunes. A few are drawing as much as from £1,000 up to £2,500 per month in dividends; and I heard of many who are worth from £5,000 up to £10,000 a-year. I am not going to attempt to give a description of the reefs, for although not quite a stranger to the district, and although every one I met talked reefs—indeed seemed to live and move and have their being in these quartz formations—still, I have a profound opinion that in order to give anything like an adequate description of them it would be necessary to burrow and live underground for about a month. I may, however, state that the reefs have been traced from the surface to a depth of over 600ft., and that some of the companies recently started expect to go down over 1,000ft. The reefs here are found in curious combinations, altogether upsetting many of the theories that have been indulged in relative to their formation. The first worked was what I believe is termed the cross reef. Immense yields were obtained from it; indeed, had not that been the case, it would never at that time, have been worked at all, as will be easily believed when I state that at first it cost from £12 to £15 to raise and crush a ton of stone. Apparently running under or joining this reef, at nearly right angles, is the Scotchman's, which is also turning out extremely well, and was traced from the surface to its connexion with the Cross. There are a number of other reefs, the very names of which I am unacquainted with. The prospects on all of them appear to be very good. An immense area of ground has recently been taken up, and a vast amount of machinery is being erected. The crushing-mills are going night and day, and as some criterion of what the district is doing I may mention that, during the three months ending the 31st of December last, 20,000 tons of quartz were crushed, averaging 18dwt. to the ton, and 5,000 tons averaging over 1oz. It is expected that during the current quarter this quantity will be largely exceeded. There appears to be little doubt that even with the reefs already opened there will be remunerative work for a large population at Pleasant Creek for, I may say, scores of years to come. Whilst going over the reefs, and surrounded by magnificent machinery, I came upon a curious and interesting relic of the past. It looked like a leviathan grindstone with a beam through the centre. It was the original crushing-machine. By means of this stone, roughly hewn by the miners themselves from a huge block of granite, some of the earliest and richest quartz obtained in the district was crushed, and in this rude and primitive manner was the wealth and importance of the locality first demonstrated. Like many other places, the great requisite here is water, the supply being at present very inferior, both as to quantity and quality. With that spirit of independence characteristic of the early pioneers of the district, the inhabitants have, however, decided to supply the want themselves. A company, entitled the Pleasant Creek Waterworks and Tramroad Company, has been formed for the object not only of providing a constant supply of water for domestic, mining, and irrigation purposes, but also to construct a tramway for the purpose of conveying to the reefs, at a cheap rate, the immense quantities of timber required for the mines. From the persons already connected page 31 with the company there appears every probability of its success and if the propositions now made are carried out, an immense benefit will be conferred on the community. Taken altogether, Pleasant Creek at the present time is perhaps busiest place in the whole colony, and its prosperity appears to rest upon a very substantial and permanent basis.

Coming to the settlement which has taken place in the district, I am bound to confess that more attention is paid to gold than to grain, and that, as a rule, the inhabitants prefer reefing to ploughing A considerable quantity of land has, however, been taken up in the neighbourhood and many of the selectors are doing remarkably well. A great portion of the land I is very poor, and it would be little short of madness to attempt to cultivate it. There is, however, some good soil here, especially near what are known as "the lakes"—the lakes being in reality a chain of large water holes, the largest three miles in length, on the Little Wimmera. All round here the ground has been taken up, fenced in, and a large portion is under cultivation. The crops have been but moderate, having, as in other districts, suffered severely from the drought. I here met two of the earliest settlers in the district, who are regarded almost in the light of historical personages—Messrs. Scoullar and Brinkman. Some twelve or thirteen years ago they occupied on the margin of the lakes less than an acre of land, for the purpose of forming a home and growing a few vegetables. They took out miners' rights sufficient to cover the areas selected by them, and flattered themselves that they were in legal occupation. They, however, found themselves mistaken. Mr. Commissioner Wright pounced down upon them, and, contending that the gold-fields regulations did not extend so far as their location, summoned them for being in illegal occupation of Crown lands. In these days the law was not too liberally interpreted, and Messrs. Scoullar and Brinkman were fined £10, or, in default, one month's imprisonment. They went to gaol, objecting to pay the fine; but indignation meetings were held in the district, the fine was paid for them, and an agitation commenced which gave no small impetus to the land reform movement. Subsequently Messrs. Scoullar and Brinkman took out an occupation licence, and for the small plot of ground held by them, paid no less than £50 per year. They have since purchased that and some adjoining land, and also hold about eighty acres under the 42nd clause. In the immediate neighbourhood of Pleasant Creek there are one hundred and ten licensees, who have been over twelve months in possession of their holdings. They have about nine hundred and fifty acres under cultivation, and the value of the improvements effected is estimated at close upon £16,000. In order, however, to arrive at a fair estimate of what has really been done by the selectors generally, about £6,000 should be deducted from that amount, as this sum represents the value of a few handsome residences erected by wealthy reefers on small areas taken up for residence purposes only. This will reduce the value of the improvements on the great bulk of the allotments to £10,000, or about £100 each, which, as the average area is only some thirty acres, must be considered highly satisfactory. As one of the results of the settlement under the 42nd clause in this district, I may mention that a flour mill is now in course of erection at Stawell, and it is anticipated that next year, sufficient grain will be grown in the locality to keen it constantly at work. There is not much good land open for selection in the neighbourhood of Pleasant Creek, and several persons complained that almost the only really eligible country for agricultural pursuits in the page 32 district—which is situated near the Richardson, in the parishes of Burrum-Burrum and Wircheliba—is being rapidly sold by auction in such lots that it falls into the hands of the large landholders, so that in a short time all further settlement, except on very inferior soil, will be rendered impossible.

Returning from Pleasant Creek, I stayed for a short time at the Great Western diggings. A few sections have been taken up here under the clause, and the improvements effected are generally of a satisfactory character. The population, however, is but small, and there is not much doing. At this place I visited a very nice vineyard, on purchased land, the property of the occupier, Mr. Trouett. The vines are doing far better here than might have been expected, and Mr. Trouett has succeeded in making some capital wine. One sample which I tried was extremely delicate, and possessed a very fine bouquet. It is named the Nice Blanc.

In what may be termed the district of Ballarat proper, the settlements under the 42nd clause, so far as I was able to observe, are of a very scattered character. Indeed, it was impossible but that such should be the case, because, leaving out of the question the immense area occupied by the various mining companies, nearly all the best land was alienated from the Crown long before the Amending Land Act came into operation. Within a few miles of Ballarat, there are a number of small holdings, ranging from two up to twenty acres in extent, occupied by miners, carters, and woodcutters, who spend whatever leisure time they have in cultivating and otherwise improving their allotments. Of the bona fides of these men there is no question, and they appear to appreciate the privilege of having a home, notwithstanding the difficulty they experience in rendering it comfortable and the land profitable. Nearly all the land on the side of the road leading from Ballarat to Buninyong was at one time taken up by residents in the former township. This, however, appears to have been done for purely speculative purposes, as there is scarcely an allotment upon which any improvements have been effected, and consequently the greater number of them have been forfeited Perhaps the most interesting settlement in this district is in the parish of Buninyong. The greater portion of the land here is very good, of a rich chocolate colour. The land around the Mount was at first reserved from selection, but in consequence of the numerous applications for it, the department had it surveyed in ten-acre sections, and all these have been taken up. The selectors, in a number of instances, are resident upon their allotments, and cultivation is progressing in the most satisfactory manner. This Mount, indeed, reminded me very forcibly of the settlement at Wombat Hill, Daylesford, which I have previously described. In both cases the right sort of people appear to have got hold of the land, and they are making the best possible use of it. Some very good crops have been raised in this locality. I heard of as much as fifty bushels of wheat and sixty bushels of oats to the acre, and I was told that a general average would give thirty bushels of wheat and forty of oats. At Warrenheip, the land is also of very fair quality, and most of that which has been taken up is fenced in and being rapidly improved. Prior to the passing of the Amending Land Act, the parish of Kerrit Bareet was a dense forest, the ground being covered with fine stringy bark trees. Before the industry and perseverance of the forty-seconders the land is, however, being brought under cultivation, and these portions which have page 33 been cleared have this season yielded very good crops. The settlers here have good prospects before them, and as springs are very numerous, giving a fair supply of water all the year round, there is little doubt that another a fair supply improvement in this locality. The land here has become more valuable of late in consequence of the gold discoveries at Gordons and Egerton. I am unable to give the quantity of land taken up under the clause in these last-named parishes, as the statistics have not yet been made up by the land officers.