Jan Barkley-Jack
Hawkesbury Settlement Revealed
240 x 180mm, 480pp, colour illustrations, hard cover & dust jacket.
Book of the Month June 2010
Australian: $39.95 (Approx. US $42, Euro €32)
ISBN 9781877058882
Worldwide 7 - 10 days, Australia 3 - 7 business days
About the Book
This book has exciting new material about Australia's beginnings, and in particular about the third mainland settlement which grew at the River Hawkesbury. It tackles controversial themes, including the meeting of European and Indigenous cultures, and delves into the local results of the influence of the French Revolution. The popular myth of military supremacy is firmly debunked, particularly with the patterns of land granting in the district - showing that Acting Governor Grove deliberately manufactured the Hawkesbury to be a low socio-economic area. There is a specific focus on women's lives highlighting their varied roles, which extended far beyond domesticity. At least eleven women at Hawkesbury between 1797 and 1802 were granted their own title to land, and eight of these were ex-convicts.