19th-Century Australian Travel Writing
In her preface to Goldfields and Chrysanthemums Notes of Travel in Australia & Japan, Catherine Bond apologised for her travel narrative, explaining that unless her travel diary of her journey to Australia and the East in 1896-1897 was published, it would not be read. With encouragement from her friends, Bond published the diary as a narrative to 'wile away an hour,' rather than being written with the intent of functioning as a travel or emigrant guide. Published in diary format, it provides a daily account of her experiences and the people and places encountered on her voyage to Australia, and in her travels into Western Australia (including goldfields at Coolgardie) and Melbourne. The book also discusses her travels through Japan and China.
