It Will Be Seen From Our Last Few Days' Experience, And From
That Of The Few Days Soon To Follow, That In This Region Rock-Holes Are
Numerous.
They are invariably situated on low surface outcrops of 'desert
sandstone, surrounded by mulga and grass; beyond that, sand.
I take it
that they have been formed in the same way as the granite rock-holes in
the south of the Colony - that is, by decay; that the whole country has
been covered by a deposit of sand, borne by the winds, filling in former
valleys and hollows, leaving only occasional patches of rock still
visible. Their frequent occurrence would then be accounted for by the
fact that the deposit of sand is shallower here than elsewhere. That it
is so is pretty evident, for here the sand-ridges are much lower than
further North, and still further South they disappear. Low cliffs are
seen, and when the latitude of Forrest's route is reached, sandstone
hills are numerous and rock-holes abundant. In the course of ages perhaps
the sand will again be shifted until such reservoirs as the "Deep
rock-holes" are filled in and hidden, or partially covered and converted
by the natives into wells. Supposing a layer of sand to a depth of five
or six feet could be thrown over the valley in which the Deep rock-holes
are situated, the holes would at once be transformed into "Native Wells,"
the term "well" being a misnomer, and apt to suggest a copious supply to
any unacquainted with the interior.
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