AustLit
Excursions in New South Wales, Western Australia, and Van Dieman's Land : During the Years 1830, 1831, 1832, and 1833
single work
travel
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
"Breton states that his object in writing this account of trips in 1830-33 to Western Australia, Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales is to convey an accurate picture of different settlements for prospective immigrants. His narrative, therefore, is almost entirely confined to describing comprehensively each of the settlement, including Swan River, Bathurst, Bong Bong, Port Macquarie, Wollongong, Parramatta, Moreton Bay, Sydney, Hobart and Launceston. He discusses such topics as soil, climate, wild life, scenery, roads and rivers, indicating that he was generally unimpressed with what he saw. He describes the Aborigines at some length and includes an account of his participation in the Tasmanian black line in 1830" (Walsh and Hooton 26).
Source
Walsh, Kay and Joy Hooton. Australian Autobiographical Narratives : An Annotated Bibliography. Canberra : Australian Scholarly Editions Centre, University College, ADFA and National Library of Australia, 1993.
Affiliation Notes
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19th-Century Australian Travel Writing
British Army Officer, Lieutenant William Henry Breton (1799-1889), travelled to Australia as part of the 4th Regiment of Foot. This account of his travels to the colonies is situated in opposition to other works about Australia that the author refers to as "bright illusions" (v), which had encouraged his journey. Breton offered what he called a "brief and unvarnished account" of the colonies, which included direct discussion of colonial violence between Aboriginal people and settlers. He described the journey from England to Sydney and included the writings of Flinders and Dampier in his text (to comment on the coasts and Aboriginal people respectively), Hobart Town, Launceston, and concluded with information about the comparative advantages of the colonies. The publisher Richard Bentley brought out three rapid and revised editions of this book, part of a series of travel publications designed to satisfy the British desire for information about the Australian colonies. Breton also published Scandinavian Sketches, or, A Tour in Norway (1835).
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
- New South Wales,
- Van Diemen's Land (1803-1856), Tasmania,
- Western Australia,
- 1831-1833
