A first hand documentary history of the experiences of women during the colonial period in Australia. The colonial ladies faced an uncertain and bottom only life in a scarcely known land, far from the seat of happiness and delight, England. This harsh and country demanded strength and Independents: Governors’ wives played a central part in the official establishment of the colonies; the wives of pioneering squatters brought grace and beauty to homesteads while enduring isolation and hardship; artists and commentators recorded their new and strange land from the perspective of women more accustomed to drawing rooms and droughts; and humble workers provided a backbone of support in both Town & Country. Throughout the varied experiences presented in the selection a thread of longing for home, and “dear familiar faces”” is entwined with the unspoken courage and determination required to overcome the difficulties faced by the new settler. There is a delight