"Racy account, with vivacity of style." -Publishers' Circular
"Most entertaining, interesting account of his travels." -Journal of the Royal Colonial Inst.
"Of considerable interest, pleasantly written." -Westminster Review
"Interesting, pleasantly told, time well spent." -Bookseller Magazine
In the autumn of 1895, Mr. Julius M. Price visited Westertn Australia as the special artist-correspondent of the Illustrated London News. Price saw all that was to be seen, and describes with considerable fullness of detail the working of the mines and the general resources of the country. The process of building up a colony is here graphically portrayed, and the many strange incidents in the initial stage of gold finding very pleasantly told.
Price appears to have taken every opportunity of acquiring such information as regards its mineral resources as would prove of service to those in this country who are interested in the development of the gold resources of the Colony. He gives a most entertaining account of the country generally, and of the chief towns in particular, and briefly refers to the political, commercial, and social aspects of the country.
Price speaks highly of the hospitality of the Colonists, which he states is lavished with an open-handedness which makes the new arrival feel at once at his ease, and quite dispels any preconceived ideas he may have had as to the value of a letter of introduction.
Regarding the gold-fields, about which the work more particularly deals, the Author gives a most graphic description of the various centres which he visited, and also of the journey to and from the fields.
He tells us of the hardships of travel through the bush pending the completion of the railway, and the many inconveniences which have to be endured by the traveller. He describes those now well-known centres of activity bearing the names of Coolgardie, Hampton Plains, Hannan's, White Feather, Great Fingall, Mount Margaret, Menzies, &c., in each instance supplying accounts of everyday life as it at present exists, besides giving particulars regarding the principal mines.
In describing a huge disappointment after traveling all day without water, Price writes:
"Imagine my feelings when, instead of the pellucid water I had been led to expect, I saw before me, in the centre of the dried-up bed of a creek, a few small shallow pools of the filthiest liquid ever dignified by the name of 'water.' In this loathsome stuff, standing knee-deep and stirring up the foul mud as they moved about, was a big crowd of camels and several horses. The peculiarly offensive habits of camels whilst drinking are too well known to be insisted on here: suffice it to mention, that a camel immediately pollutes any water it is allowed to enter whilst drinking. My indignation knew no bounds ..."
In introducing his book, Price writes:
"I went out, traversed the best-known portions of the goldfields, and for the Illustrated London News I wrote a series of letters, accompanied by sketches, all of which duly appeared in the paper. Though necessarily somewhat curtailed, these articles seemed to me to attract sufficient attention, if I might judge from the letters which I received, to warrant my giving them a more permanent place, and a larger scope, in book form."
About the author:
Julius Mendes Price (1857 - 1924) was an artist, war correspondent, explorer, traveller, journalist and caricaturist . Several of his newspaper serial reports were later published in book form.
Other works by the author include:
From the Arctic Ocean to the Yellow Sea. 1892
