When we reached Appin the day was already too far spent to admit of our reaching Wulongong, the end of our journey, the same evening. Uninviting as was the filth of the little village ale-house where we alighted, we had to make the best of its accommodations, as it was the only inn in the place. The dialect which now saluted our ears unmistakeably proved that we were domiciled in an Irish house. The people were by no means poor, they possessed an extensive "run" near the hotel, but it is part of the character of Irish settlers to be superior to the virtues of cleanliness and order. Quite close at hand began the forest, a visit to which was rewarded by the capture of several species of birds peculiar to New South Wales, among others the laughing jack-ass (_Dacelo gigantea_) and the beautiful blue-black atlas bird (_Kitta holosericea_). The following morning we resumed our journey through lofty, dense, and magnificent forests, in which the vast trunks of gum trees imparted their special character to the scenery. One of the most beautiful points of view in this delightful drive was when we crossed Sir Thomas Mitchell's, or Broughton's, Pass, which has been cut through the gigantic rocks of a mountain-range at considerable expense and labour, presenting at every turn a fresh and more beautiful grouping of rock and mountain fringed with fir and gum, reminding us somewhat of the romantic savage solitudes of the Alps. On our way to the coast we passed but one solitary farm, consisting of a couple of wretched wooden huts, thatched with bark, standing on a clearing named Bargo, where the mail-boy on his way from Appin changes horses, and remains for a few hours over-night. We merely took some coffee, and were not a little surprised at finding it presented to us in a fashion in strong contrast with the rude exterior of this forest hut. Sheffield and Wedgwood wares in the bush, and English ships constructed of Australian timber--such is the secret of English political economy! Not far from Bargo we enter upon troublesome sand wastes, at one point of which the traveller enjoys a wonderfully extensive prospect over the Illawara lake, the Keira range, and the sea, especially if, as was our case, he is accompanied by intelligent _ciceroni_ acquainted with the country, otherwise he is likely to pass this little elevation, only a few paces from the road, little dreaming of the magnificent landscape which he is missing. As soon as we got to the coast we once more encountered fan-palms, tree-ferns, and other representatives of tropical vegetation, the last few hours of our road towards the little port lying through scenes of Eden-like loveliness. About 3 P.M. of the 18th November we reached Wulongong.