AustLit

19th-Century Australian Travel Writing

James Holman (1786-1857), British author, adventurer and writer, also of the Royal Navy and Fellow of the Royal Society, published a four-volume account of his voyage around the world in 1834. Volumes I, II and III do not refer to Australia, however volume IV includes a description of Holman's time in Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales. Written in diary form, the narrative gave Holman an opportunity to express his opinions on the convict system, the climate, Hobart hotels, shipping, society, encounters with Aboriginal peoples, and his time in Launceston. In New South Wales, his excursions from Sydney to surrounding areas were described, giving details of daily travel and scenery, before his departure for New Zealand. According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry for Holman, he became an invalid “at the age of twenty-four and became totally blind not long afterwards,” however this did not appear to hamper his extensive travels. Holman was well known for his travel writing, and was the first blind person to circumnavigate the globe.