The dire economic situation and lack of marital prospects in Yugoslavia prompted many young women to embrace the uncertainty of an ‘Australian’ husband. Women were usually without means and thus restricted with their choices. Yet even when they had been educated, their families influenced their choice of husband and condemned them to a bush life […]
Books on the History of the Western Australian Goldfields
Hundreds of books have been written on the Western Australian Goldfields. From reference books to fiction and most of all the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the quest for gold and the search for adventure. There are also many biographies and history books some on the broader subject of the history of the region and others on a specific subject or town. Outback Family History would like to review some of these that you may not have heard of and to tell you where they can be purchased if you would like your own copy. We also have a monthly book giveaway!
Goldfields ‘without’ Chrysanthemums – by Catherine Bond
01/10/2022 By Leave a Comment
Goldfields and Chrysanthemums – Notes of travel in Australia and Japan by Catherine Bond I have always loved reading the personal diaries of people who have come to the Goldfields in the early days. It gives you a description of the day-to-day problems that people encounted and their impressions of the place and time. In […]
Typhoid : digging for ended in digging a grave
06/08/2022 By Leave a Comment
‘Typhoid Fever’ Many lives on the waterless goldfields of Western Australia were lost, not only from thirst but also from Typhoid Fever. In the 1890s, Typhoid was endemic throughout Australia. It struck at Perth, Western Australia’s capital itself, then in established outlying centres such as Northam and at temporary townships on the road to the […]
Kundana – The town that never was!
16/07/2022 By Leave a Comment
Kundana is situated 25kms west-northwest of Kalgoorlie and 27 km nor-northeast of Coolgardie. In the 1890s the area was known informally as the ’21 Mile’ because it was 21 miles from Coolgardie on the Black Flag Road. Other unofficial names used were ‘Barkers Find’ after the first prospector in the area and also ‘White Flag’ […]
Distressing Complications at the Yerilla Cemetery
09/07/2022 By Leave a Comment
150kms north of Kalgoorlie, in fairly lush pastoral country, lies Yerilla Station. A few kilometers from the homestead are the remains of the old Yerilla townsite and its early gold workings. It is relatively unheard of in regards to gold production but is renowned worldwide for its ‘Green Gold’ Chrysoprase, one of the most valuable […]