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52
WEST AUSTRALIAN PORTS.
account; they are principally as follows:—Sleaford Bay, Avoid Bay, Coffin Bay, Anxious Bay, Streaky Bay, Smoky Bay, Denial Bay, Fowler's Bay, Lacepede Bay, Guichen Bay, &c.
The principal ports of Western Australia are, King George's Sound, Cockburn Sound, Shark's Bay, and Doubtful Island Bay. Besides these there are a considerable number of estuaries, there being no less than ten between King George's Sound and Swan Kiver. These are usually from five to ten miles in length, and from two to three in breadth. The streams which run into some of these are considerable, and will, when the colony is more fully occupied, afford water communication to the inhabi­tants. In the summer season the water in them is salt, but becomes fresh after the rains.
King George's Sound was discovered by Vancouver, and was named by him after George the Third. It is an excellent harbour, but being situated to leeward of Cape Leuwin, in the vicinity of which strong westerly gales prevail, it will not rise to eminence as a port until the establishment of a connected system of steam navigation with India and the Archipelago, when this harbour will take high rank among the ports of Australia. The strong winds—as is experienced on the extreme point of South Africa— do not blow home, as it is termed by seamen; so that between the strength of the winds and the land, there is generally a belt of comparatively smooth water close in shore, which steam can traverse with the greatest facility, though sailing vessels within the same belt would not only make no progress, but would run imminent danger of being wrecked, from their inability to work off a lee shore. The town of Albany is situated on King George's Sound.
Swan River, on which stands Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and the towns of Freemantle and Guildford, was discovered in 1696 by Vlaming. It discharges its waters into a large bay called Melville Water. This river is subject to disastrous floods, which at timeSj as is usual with Australian