Showing results by author "Ellen Clacy" in All Categories

In 1852 a genteel young English woman of modest means cannily realised that not everyone who made money from the Australian gold-fields struck it rich by actually digging. Pregnant and not yet married, she accompanied her brother to Victoria and spent two months writing a non-fiction manuscript of her time there. After returning to England, she sold the book to a London publisher and her writerly ambitions came to fruition.

Forget the image of a genteel, parasol-wielding lady gliding through Bendigo! In 1852, 20-year-old Ellen, the daughter of a clergyman, embarked on an adventurous journey with her brother, sailing to Melbourne and then trekking to Bendigo. Sporting a blue serge skirt that doubled as nightwear, she camped under a makeshift tent of blankets, subsisting on mutton, damper, and tea. Upon arrival, she eagerly joined the gold-washing efforts and found joy in the experience. Ellen shares captivating tales of colonial life, transportation, emigration, and the bustling gold-fields. But that’s just the ...