19th-Century Australian Travel Writing
Looking back almost fifty years, "Lyth"—the pen-name of Kathleen Lambert (1828-1891), baptized Catherine Mary Ann Lambert, later Mrs Thomas—reflects on her younger life in Australia. She began her narrative of The Golden South with her childhood journey from Portsmouth to Sydney in 1843, detailing her daily life in New South Wales, from encounters with snakes to the newspapers she read, to her various travels throughout the colony working as a governess for respectable families. She described colonial society, her interactions with Aboriginal populations (mainly as domestic servants), dances, universities, and the impact of the discovery of gold. "Lyth" justifies her narrative by stating that, unlike famous descriptions of Australia by travelling writers such as Anthony Trollope and James Froude, who she describes as "merely birds of passage", she illustrated the "real homes, lives, intellects and capabilities" of Australia and its inhabitants. She was staunch in defending the liveliness and respectability of Australians and elevated society.
