Town Life in Pioneer South Australia

by Judith Brown

Photography by Barbara Mullins

Rigby, 1980, [First Edition], ISBN 0727013343,  colour photographic plates, black and white photographs throughout, hardcover, dustjacket

Very Good Condition, some edge and shelf wear, some rubbing and bumping to edges and corners, some finger markings to endpapers, small mark to publishers and contents page, no inscriptions, dustjacket shows some edge and shelf wear with some rubbing, bumping, chipping, and small tears, small missing part at top of spine (see photographs)

“Town Life in Pioneer South Australia is a fascinating glimpse into the lives of nine of the prominent citizens who pioneered the development of South Australia.  Most of them were men of substance who built or bought magnificent mansions, many of which are still in use today or are being restored by the National Trust.  This book tells the interesting stories relating to these buildings and the lives of the people who lived in them.  One of these homes was Lindsay Park, now a world-class racing stud, but formerly the estate of George Fife Angas, the founder of South Australia, who once wrote a 45-page letter to his future bride on how to improve her mind, before he proposed to her.  Another is Swanscombe, which was built by the man after whom Walkerville was named, and was then owned by Charles Webb, who was involved in one of the most interesting chapters of Australia’s history – the discovery of gold in New Guinea.
The author’s researches have uncovered many little-known facets of our past, such as the story of the wealthy but weighty widow from Medindie who was to be married to a member of the Austrian aristocracy in Vienna.  On the wedding day her prospective husband took one look at her, drew his pistol, and blew his brains out all over her!”