This book was a great review of things our family learned while traveling to the Outback years ago. This story tells of the impressive travels of James Cook and other explorers. In addition, this book reveals how Tasmania got its name. Most fascinating, however, was the earliest history of Australia (or 'New Holland,' an earlier name). Because most modern Australians live along the coastlines, there is much open terrain that scientists can study for clues about the past. Those excavations will yield much about this landmass because little of it has been explored extensively.
Americans tend to forget that Britain used the Americas as a penal colony, a place to send unwanted prisoners. After the Revolutionary War, it was no longer available, and Great Britain sent the prisoners from their overflowing jails to New South Wales. The tragedy is that Great Britain sent convicts so far for tiny infractions, like stealing bread to avoid starvation.
After reading about all the explorers and settlement planners, it is easy to understand how places and water bodies got their names. This book shared one interesting fact after another, like, it wasn't until 1948 that Australians were considered Australian citizens and not British citizens. Another fascinating factoid: Non-white male and female citizens did not get the vote until 1962.
This book is well worth the reader's time. It is a concise history of a fascinating place.
Americans tend to forget that Britain used the Americas as a penal colony, a place to send unwanted prisoners. After the Revolutionary War, it was no longer available, and Great Britain sent the prisoners from their overflowing jails to New South Wales. The tragedy is that Great Britain sent convicts so far for tiny infractions, like stealing bread to avoid starvation.
After reading about all the explorers and settlement planners, it is easy to understand how places and water bodies got their names. This book shared one interesting fact after another, like, it wasn't until 1948 that Australians were considered Australian citizens and not British citizens. Another fascinating factoid: Non-white male and female citizens did not get the vote until 1962.
This book is well worth the reader's time. It is a concise history of a fascinating place.
