Nineteenth-Century Travel Writing
Shaw, the author of Golden Dreams and Waking Realities (1851 Smith, Elder &Co, London), provides a travel narrative that was constructed as an emigrant handbook, combining useful information with entertaining anecdotes. The overall aim of the work was to ensure the Australian Colonies were clearly appreciated by the English public. The author described colonial society, from public figures, to speech, to the perils of female flirtation. Divided into sections by colony (New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia), the author described the climate, Aboriginal populations, agriculture and gold discoveries. He concluded with a deliberation on emigration and colonisation, commenting on the first impressions of the "New Chum".
