Squatters: The Story of Australia's Pastoral Pioneers
For the early settlers who came from crowded cities and long established villages, it must have been extraordinary to find you could pack your belongings onto a bullock dray and head off to rural grasslands out of the reach of meddlesome authorities. They could just mark out a parcel of land, bring in sheep or cattle, and build a future.

Some made their fortunes, others failed through drought, poor land, or bad management. Those who succeeded built vast pastoral empires running tens of thousands of head of stock, providing meat for the voracious growing colony and wool for export to England. These squatters became a bush aristocracy, with all the trappings. Families dined in gilded dining rooms with black servants waiting on them, dance halls were built in small communities, and grazing families intermarried to maintain control of property. Some even had their own artillery batteries, in case the workers revolted.

These were the "kings in grass castles" and it was a time of big dreams. Barry Stone tells stories of the men and women fanned across Australia across the 19th century and created a rural establishment that contributed more than any other segment of society to the growth of a prosperous nation.
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Squatters: The Story of Australia's Pastoral Pioneers
For the early settlers who came from crowded cities and long established villages, it must have been extraordinary to find you could pack your belongings onto a bullock dray and head off to rural grasslands out of the reach of meddlesome authorities. They could just mark out a parcel of land, bring in sheep or cattle, and build a future.

Some made their fortunes, others failed through drought, poor land, or bad management. Those who succeeded built vast pastoral empires running tens of thousands of head of stock, providing meat for the voracious growing colony and wool for export to England. These squatters became a bush aristocracy, with all the trappings. Families dined in gilded dining rooms with black servants waiting on them, dance halls were built in small communities, and grazing families intermarried to maintain control of property. Some even had their own artillery batteries, in case the workers revolted.

These were the "kings in grass castles" and it was a time of big dreams. Barry Stone tells stories of the men and women fanned across Australia across the 19th century and created a rural establishment that contributed more than any other segment of society to the growth of a prosperous nation.
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Squatters: The Story of Australia's Pastoral Pioneers

Squatters: The Story of Australia's Pastoral Pioneers

by Barry Stone
Squatters: The Story of Australia's Pastoral Pioneers

Squatters: The Story of Australia's Pastoral Pioneers

by Barry Stone

eBook

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Overview

For the early settlers who came from crowded cities and long established villages, it must have been extraordinary to find you could pack your belongings onto a bullock dray and head off to rural grasslands out of the reach of meddlesome authorities. They could just mark out a parcel of land, bring in sheep or cattle, and build a future.

Some made their fortunes, others failed through drought, poor land, or bad management. Those who succeeded built vast pastoral empires running tens of thousands of head of stock, providing meat for the voracious growing colony and wool for export to England. These squatters became a bush aristocracy, with all the trappings. Families dined in gilded dining rooms with black servants waiting on them, dance halls were built in small communities, and grazing families intermarried to maintain control of property. Some even had their own artillery batteries, in case the workers revolted.

These were the "kings in grass castles" and it was a time of big dreams. Barry Stone tells stories of the men and women fanned across Australia across the 19th century and created a rural establishment that contributed more than any other segment of society to the growth of a prosperous nation.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781760870171
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Pty., Limited
Publication date: 01/07/2019
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 256
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

Barry Stone is a journalist and travel writer. He is author of Great Australian Historic Hotels and many other works of popular history including: History's Greatest Headlines, Mutinies, Secret Army, and Desert Anzacs, and he is the author of several 1001 series books.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 The limits of location 9

2 Ever westward 29

3 The wasteland of the Crown 59

4 'More English than England' 91

5 'The finest park land I ever saw …' 121

6 Shepherd kings of the Darling Downs 149

7 'Kings in Grass Castles': Settling the Top End 177

8 Australia Felix 203

Notes 221

Bibliography 231

Index 241

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