Gentlewomen in the bush

This book discusses female British settlers lives in colonial Australia. In particular, it examines the changes Victorian gentlewomen had to undergo to survive in rural areas. Many colonial women informed their home audience of the peculiarities of their new lives in their letters, diaries, memoirs and travel books. Women s texts differ considerably from men s accounts because their emphasis is on the depiction of private life, family relationships and domestic concerns. In addition, these ladies also sought to depict the Australian colonies in terms of their botanical and ethnographical diversity as well as their history and social development. Even though colonial gentlewomen s social position and educational background did not allow them to make significant contributions to contemporary science, some of them made noteworthy achievements. British gentlewomen s life-writings draw attention to the challenges women had to face and overcome in the new environment of colonial Australia. This study should be especially useful for those interested in 19th century Australian history and Women s Studies.