They Made Their Destiny: History of Settlement of the Shire of Harvey 1829-1929 by A C Staples

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Foxin to top foredge. Dust jacket is in good condition with wear to edges and tiny hole on spine. Previous owner has signed inside blank page. Body text and binding are still excellent.

The Shire of Harvey constitutes the northern half of the Wellington District in Western Australia. European settlement commenced there ten years after the first arrivals at the Swan River.

Within the Shire lies the site of the Australind settlement, pioneered in 1841 by the London-based Western Australian Company, financed by ship owners and inspired by Edward Gibbon Wakefield. Prospective farmers bought 100-acre blocks of land, but many stayed home in comfort when it came time to emigrate. Instead, prospective workers filled the ships. They obtained free passage to a new land where there was no organised employment or capital in a hostile wilderness.

These settlers tamed the wilderness without the benefit of squatters or landlords, showing how they could transform a virtually barren land into a comfortable living environment.