In 1792 Louise Girardin - disguised as a French sailor - was the first white woman to visit Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). She was followed by Martha Hayes who stepped ashore in 1803 among the first women settlers and convicts; she was the pregnant 16 year-old mistress of their leader. But Aboriginal women had already lived on the island for perhaps 40,000 years. The first to be named in exploration literature is Ouray-Ouray; the best known is Trukanini, erroneously called the last Tasmanian when she died in 1876. In the 1970s, Aboriginal rights became a live issue, often with women in the forefront, as they were, too, in environmentalism. This book gathers together these strands, and that of a vibrant women's literature, linking them to place - an island of still unspoilt beauty and unique flora and fauna.

Book Information
ISBN 9780954405663
Author Susanna Hoe
Format Paperback
Page Count 440
Imprint The Women's History Press
Publisher Holo Books The Arbitration Press