The essay discusses the 'Australian bush heroine' as depicted by English novelists, such as Hnery Kingsley in The Hillyars and the Burtons: 'What we want to know definitely is - where's "Gerty?" Where can we come upon the young lady who stands on her head, talks infinite rubbish, and gabbles slang? In what respect does the young lady in the Queensland bush differ from the young lady in England or in Scotland?... Our personal conviction is that, search the length and breadth of the land, no "Gerty" will be found..."