AustLit

19th-Century Australian Travel Writing

Michael Davitt (1846-1906), Irish nationalist, agrarian leader and author of Leaves from a Prison Diary (1885), provides an account of the late nineteenth century Australian colonies in Life and Progress in Australasia. This narrative was written in the first person, and is divided into sections devoted to each colony of Australia, as well as New Zealand, and Davitt meticulously detailed each place he visited during his seven-month lecture tour. The text resembles a travel guide intended for potential travellers, but also includes information on finance, politics, and the penal systems within Australia. This was reinforced through Davitt's maps which included physical and industrial information. Davitt stated in his preface that his intention with this text was to increase the knowledge of Australasia in Great Britain and Ireland.