Among the atlases: Atlas of Australian resources

The review assesses the Atlas of Australian Resources, prepared by the Department of National Development in Canberra and published progressively from 1951 to 1960, with publication now complete. Its 30 sheets at 1:6,000,000 cover physical conditions, natural resources, agriculture, industry, population, transport, public services and development projects; each has an extensive commentary containing numerous precise statistics. The reviewer regards the atlas as indispensable for understanding Australia. He particularly values comparison of the population-change maps for 1933–1947 and 1947–1954, noting the near cessation of rural depopulation and relating this to the immigration map. He also highlights the precise locations of mineral deposits and factories and the mapping of major development projects. His technical reservations concern fragmented coal symbols, the failure to show the extent of coalfields and some other mineral-resource areas, and an insufficiently developed and informative relief map.