AustLit

19th-Century Australian Travel Writing

The author of Australia as it is, was referred to only as "A Clergyman," however, authorship was later attributed to Reverend John Morison, the first Presbyterian Minister at Walcha in the New England district. The author describes the present situation in the Australian (and, to a lesser extent, New Zealand) colonies, emphasising trials that emigrants face, such as the want of work and the potential dangers of the bush for the inexperienced. Much of the work focuses on the New South Wales Land Act, with the book dedicated to "those members of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales who opposed the passing of the new land act of that Colony," and ending with extracts of lectures given by the author on this topic. This publication has been reprinted several times.