We all learned about John Macarthur and the foundation of the Australian merino wool industry at school. But we don’t know so much about Elizabeth, his wife after whom their first farm at Parramatta was named – Elizabeth Farm. This book fills the gap, and gives Elizabeth back her place. After all, during his many absences from the colony of New South Wales, she ran their farms and their affairs and ensured their prosperity. This countrywoman from Devon was built of steel, but with a heart. The account of her journey to NSW in the second fleet, when she gave birth to her second child in the Southern Ocean in a storm (and the daughter only survived for an hour) is fascinating. Her life in early Sydney and Parramatta tells us so much about early Australia and the conditions in which even the better off lived in the fledgling colony. The machinations between the military and the various governors are told from an interesting viewpoint – Elizabeth often managed to retain friendships with the wives of John’s adversaries. And at the edge of it all we see the convicts and the free settlers from in interesting vantage point. The development of the wool industry and the colonial economy is also central, and it’s fascinating to see the transition from penal colony to self-sustaining society. An easy read, great history but a window into the personal lives of many of the early settlers of Australia.
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