Australia, its history and present condition: containing an account both of the bush and of the colonies

In Short

This comprehensive nineteenth-century survey examines the physical geography, indigenous cultures, and British colonial settlements of Australia. Combining accounts from explorers, naturalists, and official records, the narrative contrasts the vast, untamed Bush with the rapidly expanding penal and free colonies. It evaluates the environmental challenges, social dynamics, and moral responsibilities of British expansion. The book endures as a vivid historical record of early colonial life, reflecting the environmental observations and religious perspectives of a British clergyman observing distant frontiers through the documentation of his contemporaries.

The Story

The account begins in the vast, uncultivated wilds of the Australian continent. It presents the interior as a landscape of dramatic extremes, shifting rapidly from fertile valleys and lush waterways to desolate, salt-encrusted basins. Early explorers navigate perilous offshore coral reefs and trek through dense, trackless scrub, encountering environments that defy European expectations. The narrative explores the physical reality of the Bush, detailing its unique wildlife, indigenous hunting methods, and the severe weather cycles that alternate between parching droughts and sudden abundance.

Attention then shifts to the indigenous populations who inhabit these territories. The text describes their nomadic survival strategies, social customs, and traditional tracking methods, such as hunting opossums up towering trees using notched bark steps. It documents their initial encounters with British explorers, noting moments of both tense confrontation and quiet hospitality. However, the chronicle also records the catastrophic impact of introduced European diseases and ongoing territorial conflicts, which rapidly decimate native communities and disrupt their long-established ways of life.

From the wilderness, the focus moves into the emerging British settlements, tracking the development of New South Wales, Van Diemen's Land, Western Australia, and South Australia. The narrative details the complex origins of these colonies as penal settlements, where gang labour, road building under heavy irons, and strict military governance form the foundation of public infrastructure. The structural difficulties of these early outposts are exposed through accounts of severe food shortages, lost supply ships, and rampant social disorder fuelled by trade in spirits.

As the colonies transition toward permanent civil societies, new economic enterprises emerge. Enterprise drives capital deep into the interior through the work of "Overlanders"—bold traders driving vast herds of cattle and sheep across hundreds of miles of uncharted wilderness to supply new markets and inflate land values. Roads, farms, and maritime ports gradually connect isolated outposts to global trade networks.

The chronicle concludes with an evaluation of the spiritual, educational, and institutional foundations being laid in the expanding towns. While physical trade and agriculture flourish, the narrative argues that lasting societal progress depends entirely on establishing moral restraint, building churches, and founding schools to educate future generations.

How It Unfolds

The wild interior Explorers range through the unfamiliar topography of the Australian Bush, traversing rugged mountain ridges and perilous coastal coral reefs. They encounter expansive, arid salt barriers like Lake Torrens, which severely hamper progress into the mysterious continental interior.

Life in the Bush Indigenous Australians demonstrate remarkable skill in tracking game and securing food from native flora and fauna. Using stone axes, hunters notch the bark of towering trees to climb after hidden prey by daylight and moonlight alike.

Trial and tragedy Unsettled relationships and imported European diseases take a heavy toll on native populations, bringing swift devastation to local clans. Meanwhile, early coastal outposts struggle against severe famines, maritime shipwrecks, and widespread moral disorder among the convict population.

The rising settlements Colonial administration expands across distinct territories, establishing towns, dividing regions into counties, and converting penal outposts into productive agricultural hubs. Convict chain gangs clear thick forests and build critical public roads under harsh oversight.

The frontier trade Venturesome Overlanders drive thousands of livestock across trackless wilderness to link distant colonies together. These profitable expeditions inject massive economic vitality into frontier towns, dramatically accelerating land valuation and colonial expansion.

Building for the future Colonial leaders shift their focus toward establishing durable civil and religious institutions across urban centers like Sydney and Hobart Town. Efforts concentrate on endowing grammar schools, founding colleges, and erecting churches to secure the moral future of the growing population.

The People

• Captain Grey — An energetic explorer whose journeys through Western Australia highlight both the aesthetic charm of the wilderness and the life-threatening perils of bush navigation. He relies on native guides to survive difficult expeditions while attempting peaceful encounters with indigenous groups.
• Captain Flinders — A meticulous navigator who spends days carefully steering his vessel through hundreds of miles of perilous coastal coral reefs, documenting both the stunning underwater marine life and the constant threat of destruction.
• Mr. Eyre — A resolute inland explorer who encounters the daunting barrier of Lake Torrens, confronting a vast, saline expanse that blocks direct access to the uncharted interior.
• Bennillong — An indigenous man brought into close contact with European society who travels to England, yet finds himself tragically torn between traditional customs and the disruptive influences of colonial life upon his return.
• The Overlanders — A distinct class of adventurous traders and capital drivers who risk significant personal wealth driving large herds of livestock across hundreds of miles of wilderness, serving as key economic catalysts for newly formed colonies.
• The Colonial Governors — Administrative officials, such as Governor Hunter, who struggle to maintain order, manage severe food shortages, curb the illicit trade in rum, and build public infrastructure using convict labour.

In Its Own Voice

"Under these impressions men learn to delight in exploring the bush, and when they meet, as they often do, with sweet spots, on which Nature has secretly lavished her choicest gifts, most thoroughly do they enjoy, most devotedly do they admire, their beauty."

This observation captures the quiet allure of the Australian wilderness, where isolated pockets of natural beauty offer unexpected relief to weary European explorers.

"Every change of position is attended with the clank of chains, which at first harrows your soul: but time does wonders, you know; you forget the irons after a while."

A clergyman describing a minister's visit to an ironed convict road-gang records the grim, everyday reality of penal discipline shaping the colony's infrastructure.

"Importations of stock immediately add a value to land, for what is the use of pasture without animals to feed upon it?"

This pragmatic assessment underscores how overland stock drives transformed vast expanses of open countryside into valuable colonial real estate.

What It's Really About

At its core, the text examines the moral responsibilities that accompany imperial expansion and territorial conquest. It contrasts the stark simplicity of native life with the complex, often corrupting influences of European civilisation. Rather than viewing colonization solely as a matter of economic growth and geographical discovery, the argument contends that material progress without ethical restraint and spiritual instruction inevitably leads to social decay. The work continually questions whether a society built on convict labor, resource exploitation, and the displacement of indigenous inhabitants can establish a truly stable and virtuous community without prioritizing education, religious foundation, and humanitarian care.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers interested in colonial history, historic travel writing, and the dynamics of nineteenth-century imperialism will find this work a valuable resource. It offers a detailed window into how Victorian commentators processed the distant, unfamiliar environments of the Southern Hemisphere. The prose is clear, observational, and methodical, blending firsthand narrative passages from famous explorers with the steady analytical voice of an educated observer.

Reading the text requires navigating period attitudes, particularly the patronizing language used toward indigenous peoples and the stern religious framework applied to convict discipline. Yet these historical limitations themselves provide essential context for understanding the cultural assumptions of the era. The book remains memorable for its striking visual depictions of Australia's landscape—from glowing coral beds beneath clear ocean waters to the clanking chain gangs carving out roads—offering a unfiltered glimpse into the origins of a modern nation.