Showing results by author "Ellen Clacy" in All Categories

"If you have visions of a middle-aged parasol-bearing lady smiling sweetly from her carriage as she tours Bendigo think again. In 1852, 20 year old clergyman’s daughter Ellen and her brother boarded ship for Melbourne then set off to walk to Bendigo. Dressed in her blue serge skirt which doubled as nightwear, she camped under a tent made of blankets, had mutton, damper and tea most meals and on arrival lent her hand to gold washing. And seemed to enjoy it ! And amongst other things she tells of colonial life , transportation, emigration and other gold-fields. But you will need to listen to ...

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 ...

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.