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Great Pioneer Women of the Outback
FROM THE 1800s TO THE ONSET OF WORLD WAR I, PIONEERS MAKING THEIR HOMES IN OUTBACK AUSTRALIA WERE JOINED BY THEIR WIVES, MANY OF WHOM HAD NO IDEA OF THE DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS AHEAD.
These women encountered conditions which would test their resilience and resourcefulness to the utmost: relentless heat, dust and isolation; hostile wildlife; no medical facilities; and never-ending, backbreaking work.
The outback was indeed 'no place for a lady'. Yet many women with no previous experience of hardship rose to the challenge of creating homes, nursing, farming - and keeping journals, which provided a startling picture of the life they faced.
Great Pioneer Women of the Outback profiles then female pioneers, from Jeannie Gunn, author of We of the Never-Never, to equally remarkable but lesser known women, such as Emma Withnell in Western Australia and Evelyn Maunsell in Queensland. Builing on the women's records and her own knowledge of Australian history, Susanne de Vries documents the grit and determination it took to build what many today would consider an extraordinary life.
These women encountered conditions which would test their resilience and resourcefulness to the utmost: relentless heat, dust and isolation; hostile wildlife; no medical facilities; and never-ending, backbreaking work.
The outback was indeed 'no place for a lady'. Yet many women with no previous experience of hardship rose to the challenge of creating homes, nursing, farming - and keeping journals, which provided a startling picture of the life they faced.
Great Pioneer Women of the Outback profiles then female pioneers, from Jeannie Gunn, author of We of the Never-Never, to equally remarkable but lesser known women, such as Emma Withnell in Western Australia and Evelyn Maunsell in Queensland. Builing on the women's records and her own knowledge of Australian history, Susanne de Vries documents the grit and determination it took to build what many today would consider an extraordinary life.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 25, 2005
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About the author
Susanna de Vries
38 books11 followers(From 'Blue Ribbons Bitter Bread')
SUSANNA DE VRIES is an art historian who has now retired from lecturing at the Continuing Education Department of the University of Queensland. She was born in London and attended the Sorbonne in Paris and the University of Madrid. She came to Australia in 1975, has been the recipient of a Churchill Fellowship and has written extensively on art history, both here and abroad. She was made a member of the Order of Australia in 1996 'for services to Australian and European art'.
In addition to writing Blue Ribbons Bitter Bread, which has won several awards, Susanna is the author of the following books: Historic Brisbane and its Early Artists; Historic Sydney—the Founding of Australia; Pioneer Women, Pioneer Land; The Impressionists Revealed; Conrad Martens on the 'Beagle' and in Australia; Ethel Carrick Fox—Travels and Triumphs of a Post-Impressionist; Strength of Spirit—Pioneering Women of Achievement from First Fleet to Federation and Strength of Purpose—Australian Women of Achievement; part-author of Parenting Girls with Dr Janet Irwin. For HarperCollins she has written a four-volume paperback series on Great Australia Women. Volumes One and Two have now been reissued as a double volume titled Great Australian Women, 36 Women who Changed Australia, and Volume Three Heroic Australian Women in War [HarperCollins, 2004]. Volume Four is titled Great Women of the Outback [HarperCollins 2005]. Together with her husband, Jake de Vries she has written the illustrated book Historic Brisbane—Convict Settlement to River City [published by Pandanus Press] and To Hell and Back, the banned account of Gallipoli.
(From 'Royal Mistresses')
Susanna de Vries was born and raised in England and now divides her time between Australia and Europe. She is the author of a dozen biographies of women and three books of art history.
As an adopted child, the product of a liaison between a married aristocrat and his married mistress, she was drawn to research this complex topic and the result was Royal Mistresses.
Educated at St George’s Ascot, Berkshire Susanna studied art history and literature in Paris and Madrid. She undertook post-graduate study in Florence and on a Churchill Fellowship was allowed to conduct research in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. She received an Order of Australia (AM) for ‘services to art and literature’ and an award for a distinguished contribution to literature by the Australian Society of Women Writers. She has retired from lecturing at university but is an approved lecturer for the Australian branch of NADFAS, the Fine and Decorative Art Society.
Susanna became interested in effects of arranged marriages between cousins, a usual practice among royal families and the genetic and psychological effects when her first husband worked in the Department of Clinical Psychiatry headed by Professor Sir Martin Roth, a respected psychiatrist consulted by several members of the royal family and came to Australia when her late husband was appointed professor at the Medical School of the University of Queensland.
SUSANNA DE VRIES is an art historian who has now retired from lecturing at the Continuing Education Department of the University of Queensland. She was born in London and attended the Sorbonne in Paris and the University of Madrid. She came to Australia in 1975, has been the recipient of a Churchill Fellowship and has written extensively on art history, both here and abroad. She was made a member of the Order of Australia in 1996 'for services to Australian and European art'.
In addition to writing Blue Ribbons Bitter Bread, which has won several awards, Susanna is the author of the following books: Historic Brisbane and its Early Artists; Historic Sydney—the Founding of Australia; Pioneer Women, Pioneer Land; The Impressionists Revealed; Conrad Martens on the 'Beagle' and in Australia; Ethel Carrick Fox—Travels and Triumphs of a Post-Impressionist; Strength of Spirit—Pioneering Women of Achievement from First Fleet to Federation and Strength of Purpose—Australian Women of Achievement; part-author of Parenting Girls with Dr Janet Irwin. For HarperCollins she has written a four-volume paperback series on Great Australia Women. Volumes One and Two have now been reissued as a double volume titled Great Australian Women, 36 Women who Changed Australia, and Volume Three Heroic Australian Women in War [HarperCollins, 2004]. Volume Four is titled Great Women of the Outback [HarperCollins 2005]. Together with her husband, Jake de Vries she has written the illustrated book Historic Brisbane—Convict Settlement to River City [published by Pandanus Press] and To Hell and Back, the banned account of Gallipoli.
(From 'Royal Mistresses')
Susanna de Vries was born and raised in England and now divides her time between Australia and Europe. She is the author of a dozen biographies of women and three books of art history.
As an adopted child, the product of a liaison between a married aristocrat and his married mistress, she was drawn to research this complex topic and the result was Royal Mistresses.
Educated at St George’s Ascot, Berkshire Susanna studied art history and literature in Paris and Madrid. She undertook post-graduate study in Florence and on a Churchill Fellowship was allowed to conduct research in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. She received an Order of Australia (AM) for ‘services to art and literature’ and an award for a distinguished contribution to literature by the Australian Society of Women Writers. She has retired from lecturing at university but is an approved lecturer for the Australian branch of NADFAS, the Fine and Decorative Art Society.
Susanna became interested in effects of arranged marriages between cousins, a usual practice among royal families and the genetic and psychological effects when her first husband worked in the Department of Clinical Psychiatry headed by Professor Sir Martin Roth, a respected psychiatrist consulted by several members of the royal family and came to Australia when her late husband was appointed professor at the Medical School of the University of Queensland.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 9, 2020
I really liked this book, which is written based on journals these women kept. These women endured extraordinary hardship; illness, death, unbearable heat, never-ending dust, crocs, shipwrecks… the list goes on.
I’ve been to the Outback several times and I’m amazed that anyone actually survived, much less established these early settlements in locations that are almost uninhabitable, even today.
It was great to hear the names of some of these early settlers, which are now names of towns or shires. And the story of original settlers (grandparents, I think) of people I know now, that I didn’t know was in this book. And the story of one of these pioneer women that gave birth just onshore in front of my house, after setting sail to northern Western Australia. In that sense, I enjoyed the book because of its familiarity. But it is fascinating history that I’d recommend to anyone.
I’ve been to the Outback several times and I’m amazed that anyone actually survived, much less established these early settlements in locations that are almost uninhabitable, even today.
It was great to hear the names of some of these early settlers, which are now names of towns or shires. And the story of original settlers (grandparents, I think) of people I know now, that I didn’t know was in this book. And the story of one of these pioneer women that gave birth just onshore in front of my house, after setting sail to northern Western Australia. In that sense, I enjoyed the book because of its familiarity. But it is fascinating history that I’d recommend to anyone.
February 8, 2017
This is the best biography I have ever read. So why then, I hear you ask, did I not finish reading it? Because sometimes the best is too much.
I only read the first chapter, which covers quite lengthily the life of Georgina Malloy. The author's beautiful and warm writing painted Georgina's life with such intimacy that I felt like I was reading about a dear friend. I cheered at her every success, worried at her every challenge, empathised with her mother's heart and the griefs and pain she experienced. And finally I am in tears at the untimely and tragic death of this lovely young mother and brave pioneer.
So as much as I loved reading about this beautiful woman, who died 170 years ago, I find myself unable to continue. However I would encourage anyone with less sensitivity than I to read this book. The author has a remarkable gift of collating the many facts of a person's life, and then transforming those facts into life. She doesn't hide any of the darkness of the life of the pioneer, and that includes the notorious maltreatment of the Aboriginal people. (Something I'm happy to say Georgina was never guilty of, but which certainly made me want to go back in time and slap some sense into other early settlers) But neither is it all grim, with the beauty of the Australian bush, the love of family, the gift of children, and the gutsy determination of brave pioneers.
I only read the first chapter, which covers quite lengthily the life of Georgina Malloy. The author's beautiful and warm writing painted Georgina's life with such intimacy that I felt like I was reading about a dear friend. I cheered at her every success, worried at her every challenge, empathised with her mother's heart and the griefs and pain she experienced. And finally I am in tears at the untimely and tragic death of this lovely young mother and brave pioneer.
So as much as I loved reading about this beautiful woman, who died 170 years ago, I find myself unable to continue. However I would encourage anyone with less sensitivity than I to read this book. The author has a remarkable gift of collating the many facts of a person's life, and then transforming those facts into life. She doesn't hide any of the darkness of the life of the pioneer, and that includes the notorious maltreatment of the Aboriginal people. (Something I'm happy to say Georgina was never guilty of, but which certainly made me want to go back in time and slap some sense into other early settlers) But neither is it all grim, with the beauty of the Australian bush, the love of family, the gift of children, and the gutsy determination of brave pioneers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2019
I loved this book and I definitely think it would appeal to both Australians and non-Australians alike.
In this book Susanna de Vries gives us a glimpse into the lives of ten amazing women who left the comfort and security of places as various as England, Scotland, Melbourne and Adelaide, in order to help their husbands pioneer the inland of Australia.
They lived among harsh, unforgiving landscapes--often losing children, husbands and livelihoods to drought, sickness and accidents. They endured loneliness and mental illness, pain and fear.
It was incredible to read about them and the sacrifices they made, as well as the joys they discovered. Katie Langloh Parker was particularly interesting to me. She was unable to have children (unlike most of the other women in this book) so she spent her time with the local Aboriginal women, learning their language, listening to their legends and striving to understand their complex customs and laws. Jeannie Gunn, the "Mrs Aeneas Gunn" of "We of the Never-Never" fame also gets a whole chapter to herself, much of it focused on her relationship with the local Aboriginal people.
The only thing I could have asked for from this book was a bit more about the Aboriginal women who often were overshadowed by the white women the book was about. In fact, I would really have loved to see them have a few chapters of their own. Particularly Dolly Bonson, who led a long and very interesting life.
However, in order to learn about the lives of pioneer Australian women, you couldn't do any better than this book.
In this book Susanna de Vries gives us a glimpse into the lives of ten amazing women who left the comfort and security of places as various as England, Scotland, Melbourne and Adelaide, in order to help their husbands pioneer the inland of Australia.
They lived among harsh, unforgiving landscapes--often losing children, husbands and livelihoods to drought, sickness and accidents. They endured loneliness and mental illness, pain and fear.
It was incredible to read about them and the sacrifices they made, as well as the joys they discovered. Katie Langloh Parker was particularly interesting to me. She was unable to have children (unlike most of the other women in this book) so she spent her time with the local Aboriginal women, learning their language, listening to their legends and striving to understand their complex customs and laws. Jeannie Gunn, the "Mrs Aeneas Gunn" of "We of the Never-Never" fame also gets a whole chapter to herself, much of it focused on her relationship with the local Aboriginal people.
The only thing I could have asked for from this book was a bit more about the Aboriginal women who often were overshadowed by the white women the book was about. In fact, I would really have loved to see them have a few chapters of their own. Particularly Dolly Bonson, who led a long and very interesting life.
However, in order to learn about the lives of pioneer Australian women, you couldn't do any better than this book.
August 29, 2023
What amazing, brave women taking on a life of isolation and hard work, either establishing new farms, or at outback telegraph stations, often supporting workers as well as their own families. And thanks to them keeping journals, we can learn more about the early days of settlement.
FROM THE 1800s TO THE ONSET OF WORLD WAR I, PIONEERS MAKING THEIR HOMES IN OUTBACK AUSTRALIA WERE JOINED BY THEIR WIVES, MANY OF WHOM HAD NO IDEA OF THE DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS AHEAD.
These women encountered conditions which would test their resilience and resourcefulness to the utmost: relentless heat, dust and isolation; hostile wildlife; no medical facilities; and never-ending, backbreaking work.
The outback was indeed 'no place for a lady'. Yet many women with no previous experience of hardship rose to the challenge of creating homes, nursing, farming - and keeping journals, which provided a startling picture of the life they faced.
Great Pioneer Women of the Outback profiles then female pioneers, from Jeannie Gunn, author of We of the Never-Never, to equally remarkable but lesser known women, such as Emma Withnell in Western Australia and Evelyn Maunsell in Queensland. Builing on the women's records and her own knowledge of Australian history, Susanne de Vries documents the grit and determination it took to build what many today would consider an extraordinary life.
FROM THE 1800s TO THE ONSET OF WORLD WAR I, PIONEERS MAKING THEIR HOMES IN OUTBACK AUSTRALIA WERE JOINED BY THEIR WIVES, MANY OF WHOM HAD NO IDEA OF THE DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS AHEAD.
These women encountered conditions which would test their resilience and resourcefulness to the utmost: relentless heat, dust and isolation; hostile wildlife; no medical facilities; and never-ending, backbreaking work.
The outback was indeed 'no place for a lady'. Yet many women with no previous experience of hardship rose to the challenge of creating homes, nursing, farming - and keeping journals, which provided a startling picture of the life they faced.
Great Pioneer Women of the Outback profiles then female pioneers, from Jeannie Gunn, author of We of the Never-Never, to equally remarkable but lesser known women, such as Emma Withnell in Western Australia and Evelyn Maunsell in Queensland. Builing on the women's records and her own knowledge of Australian history, Susanne de Vries documents the grit and determination it took to build what many today would consider an extraordinary life.
August 23, 2019
These women were tough, and Susannah picked stories that included disaster, picking themselves up and redemption. To think that to give birth at a hospital after difficult births a woman would have to travel for days, or weeks on a cart was painful. Thinking of her discomfort.
One thing though really annoyed me. She made black water fever out to be caused by drinking bad water. I have never heard this as a name before. Black water fever is the end stage of malaria, where because of the breakdown of the red blood cells, the urine changes colour to 'black'. I should say end stage for some. I did check the name, and the malaria description came up. Unfortunately I this did annoy me any time I met it during he book.
One thing though really annoyed me. She made black water fever out to be caused by drinking bad water. I have never heard this as a name before. Black water fever is the end stage of malaria, where because of the breakdown of the red blood cells, the urine changes colour to 'black'. I should say end stage for some. I did check the name, and the malaria description came up. Unfortunately I this did annoy me any time I met it during he book.
August 13, 2023
This was such a fascinating read! Our lives are so sanitised these days--not that I'm complaining--just wow. There were a lot of personal connections for me with areas I've lived in or visited or books I've read/peoples lives I've looked into, so I found it particularly interesting. However, it's really worth picking up (for Australians) and as it's divided into sections on particular women unrelated to each other, you don't have to read the whole book to finish the story--you could read one or all or some. It's also connected me to some other books I'd like to read!
July 20, 2019
3 1/2 stars.
August 31, 2019
I loved this book, I really loved the brave women. We have it so easy these days.
April 30, 2021
A wonderful overview of the daily lives, background, and hardships of brave women who pioneered the outback.
February 1, 2015
Fascinating true stories, brought about by a tremendous amount of research. Life was so incredibly hard in every outback region of Australia. But it was interesting to learn of the differences in soil types, weather, and aboriginal culture in each area. Some things were constant for all the women: isolation, deprivation, resourcefulness, and grit.
August 16, 2008
I found this book really interesting. It gave a "woman's face" to the early settlers in Australia. I learnt a little bit about our history, a little bit about true struggles and gained a HUGE appreciation for the women how settled Australia.
April 20, 2015
Fascinating. These women endured so much hardship. My ancestors pioneered in less harsher areas of Australia but I imagine they faced similar issues from time to time. Distressing to think of the high infant mortality and enduring pregnancy and birth in such times and places.
May 6, 2016
I cannot imagine how hard life was for these women in that era. It made me feel deeply grateful for what I have at my fingertips today that we take for granted. The grit and stoic attitude of these women beggars belief. Brilliant history lesson.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews