3. After dinner we drove through the King's Cross and Rose Bay districts of the city. King's Cross is the principal night life spot. Some big, modern apartment houses (said to be very expensive). Large European population (post- war). Numerous "Expresso" coffee shops. Keast told of a numerous brush-tail possum population in the city parks and gardens, and their feeding on garbage with the alley cats at night. Fig birds ( ) have come in as an established population associated with the Moreton Bay figs. Tuesday, March 17. Left Sydney by 44-passenger Vickers Viscount prop-jet (4-motor) plane of TAA at 11:08 AM and arrived Brisbane 1:05 PM. Distance 534 miles direct, but we climbed to 25,000 ft. and still had to do much dodging of clouds. A big cyclonic disturbance to the SE and showery conditions in both Sydney and Brisbane. Weather pleasant as regard temperatures. Summer has been cool, I'm told. Descending through the clouds near Brisbane, the first thing to attract attention was the red or white roofs of the houses, the red being mostly tiled, the white painted galvanized iron. Bananas growing in back yards indicated the sub-tropical climate. Was met at Brisbane by a Mr. White of ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) and at 2 o'clock gave a tape recording on our New Guinea work at the studios in town. Confirmed with Qantas our air bookings for Port Moresby. Procured required income tax clearance. Placed an out-of-order exposure meter for overhaul. Then took a taxi out to my sister Edna Henderson's place in suburb of Hawthorne. Sydney. Upon landing in Sydney last night, I was handed a message from the Dept. of External Affairs, "Arrangements have been made with Commonwealth authorities Port Moresby, where you are scheduled to arrive on 31 (sic) March. Offices of Department of Territories and External Affairs in Sydney will be glad to give further information". This morning I first phoned External Affairs, where thanks for their message was all that was necessary. Then Van and I called at Dept. of Territories, where I, having airlines transportation to pick up at 10 o'clock, fidgeted in a spacious and attractive reception office for fully 15 minutes before a Mr. Williams came out to see us. He had nothing to say beyond assuring himself that our documents were in order for New Guinea. We had seen to this in New York, I could have told him so over the phone. There has been placed on the waterfront, so our cargo should now be safely in Lae. Van remains in Sydney for a couple of days as guest of Allen Keast. Wednesday, March 18. After some personal business visited Queensland Herbarium in the morning. Selwyn Everest (Govt. Botanist) north in the Townsville area to inspect an infestation of "Chinese Apple" (Zizyphus Talked with Stanley F. Blake and Lindsay Smith. Herbarium much overcrowded. Bulk of collections piled high in "Merrill" boxes in racks. Tops of most cases in the museum room crowded with bundles of specimens. But I could smell naphtalene 20 yards from the building as I approached through the Botanic Gardens. A new fireproof wing houses the most valuable books and the type specimens. The very numerous type specimens still being segregated. Now a staff of 14, including a graduate librarian, and two full-time mounters.