image of person or book cover 7169453610715167154.png
'Experiences of a Colonist' title page
Issue Details: First known date: 1879... 1879 Experiences of a Colonist Forty Years Ago : A Journey From Port Phillip to South Australia in 1839, and a Voyage from Port Phillip to Adelaide in 1846, by an Old Hand
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Affiliation Notes

  • 19th-Century Australian Travel Writing

    George Hamilton, writer, poet, and member of the Acclimatization Society, wrote Experiences of a Colonist Forty Years Ago, published under the name “an Old Hand,” from the point of view of a colonist recalling events from his early experiences. The preface states that Hamilton's aim for the text was to "enlighten and amuse his readers, while at the same time [giving] them a true and detailed description of events as they occurred nearly half a century ago." The work is divided into three connected narratives, the first the titular tale, the second chronicling a journey from Port Phillip to South Australia in 1839, and the third detailing a voyage from Port Phillip to Adelaide in 1846. The work is written in a humorous, anecdotal style, with particular emphasis on the daily experience of colonial and travelling life: the food, weather, conditions of the roads, early colonial society, and features of the landscape.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Adelaide, South Australia,: Frearson , 1879 .
      Extent: 63p., 59p.p.
      Description: illus.; [6] leaves of illustrations.

      Holdings

      Held at: Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies AIATSIS Library
      Local Id: RB H218.32/E1
    • Adelaide, South Australia,: George Hamilton , 1880 .
      Printed by J. Williams
      image of person or book cover 7169453610715167154.png
      'Experiences of a Colonist' title page
      Alternative title: Experiences of a Colonist Forty Years Ago : A Journey From Port Phillip to South Australia in 1839, and a Voyage from Port Phillip to Adelaide in 1846, by an Old Hand ; With Illustrations
      Extent: 84p., 23p.p.
      Description: illus.; [3] leaves of plates.
Last amended 26 Nov 2021 11:07:32
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