In search of respectability : secular and religious influences on society in south east New South Wales, 1863-1900

Abstract

In 1863 white settlement in south east New South Wales was little over forty years old. In this large region, about sixtv thousand people lived and worked, almost all of them in tiny settlements or on sheep stations. There were few roads , no railways and few other services. During the next four decades, the population more than doubled, future urban and economic patterns were settled, and almost all of the services necessary to a contemporary community were introduced. This the sis examines separately several important aspects of community life during these years, and evaluates their importance in determining the character of the society of the region.