Goldfields and Chrysanthemums –
Notes of travel in Australia and Japan
by Catherine Bond
I have always loved reading the personal diaries of people who have come to the Goldfields in the early days. It gives you a description of the day-to-day problems that people encounted and their impressions of the place and time.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was popular for travellers to keep a travel diary to record the day-to-day happenings of the places and things they did on their journeys. It does seem to have been more popular with women and many diaries have gone on to be published. These give us a real insight into the thoughts and observations of ordinary people which the history books may not include.
Catherine Bond and her husband
This is only a small part of the travel diary of Catherine Bond who, with her husband, travelled extensively in Japan and Australia in 1896-7, and was first published in 1898. Their trip starts in London on the train the ‘Orient Express’ on the 10th of April 1896, and they do not return to England until February 1897. This section covers only their visit to the Western Australia Goldfields when her husband came to see many of the new gold mines in the area. Catherine has a real gift for describing the people and places she visits with humor and a very English ‘ upper-class’ view. She writes- ‘When on long journeys I have always kept a diary but find if it is not printed, it is not read! So I have been urged by friends and family to publish this account of my travels.’
The following is an excerpt only but I encourage you to read the full account if possible-
Southern Cross 20th October – Arrived by train very early for breakfast at 7 o’clock. When we reached the dining room there was already a large party sitting down to their chops and steaks. The room was clean and airy with English hunting scenes on the walls. I was fortunate to get two fresh eggs as I cannot eat meat so early. We then boarded the train for Coolgardie. It is a lovely bright sunny morning and the air is fresh and cool. As we drive through the bush we pass many small encampments and some passengers throw out newspapers for which there is always a demand. We passed over several salt lakes and then come to a hill of granite with a reservoir beneath to hold any water that falls from the rock.
Coolgardie, 21st October 1896 – We arrived at Coolgardie at about 6 o’clock in the evening and were taken to the Grand Hotel where we get two small but clean bedrooms, and, after a wash and some tea, feel quite refreshed. There is a dinner party going on at the other end of the large dining room, but this is special, and we are too late for the hotel dinner. We go upstairs and sit on the balcony, where we are joined by some friends. It is very cold and too dark to see much, but the lights show where the houses are. The hotel is of galvanised iron which is much used for houses here. Outside is match-boarded and inside is painted for about 7 feet from the floor and above finished off with a boldly patterned canvas to the ceiling. We have a double bed, a small wardrobe, and a double washstand and dressing table, but for this, we have to pay for two people. So as ‘F’ (her husband) has a similar room, we have to pay for four people. However, we can’t complain as rooms are scarce and in great demand. Around the upper floor is a balcony of about 16 feet broad around the whole building.
The Grand Hotel, Coolgardie, 1896 – Photo TROVE
As I sit on the balcony I see a stream of camels go by and now and then a digger with his pick and shovel going off to work. The place is flat with low hills around, a few desolate gum trees here and there, and a great number of small iron houses. The Government buildings are very ugly and of red brick. The hotel, The Grand, is very advanced, well lit with electric light, and bathrooms with hot and cold water at the cost of 4 shilling per bath. The landlord and staff are most obliging and pleasant.
The hotel table in the dining room was nicely set for breakfast and the food was good and eggs in plenty. We were not able to buy such eggs in Perth even. Outside the hotel there is brown dust many inches deep. When the wind blows the dust rises all around, and everything is covered in this brown dust, the town should have been called ‘Brown-gardie’, it would have been a better name.
When we went for a walk we found a great deal to amuse us. There is an auction place open to the street where old clothes, pianos, sewing machines and everything imaginable are sold. Ready-made clothes shops and bars abound. At the National Bank the manager showed us some fine specimens of gold set in quartz.
Bayley St, Coolgardie 1896 – Photo SLWA
Kalgoorlie 23rd Oct 1896- We left Coolgardie at 12 noon in the buggy taking only the bare necessities with us. The road is rough and heavy and there are many tree roots to be avoided. The new rail line to Kalgoorlie is being laid and runs alongside the road. We met a long string of camels and our horses were quite good at passing them. Camels usually keep to the bush as horses are often frightened of them. We stopped at the halfway house to water the horses but there was nothing there for us to eat and the flies were terrible.
Halfway Hotel, Coolgardie Rd, 1896 Photo SLWA
We arrived at our hotel in Kalgoorlie at 5:30pm and must have presented a comical appearance, literally covered from head to foot with brown dust. We all have long blue gauze veils and glasses as it is not safe to let the dust touch the face, neck, or eyes. After dinner, we sat on the balcony and were greatly amused by the scenes in the street below which was very crowded and noisy. Further up the street there is an open market selling ‘shares’ and nearby the Salvation Army held a service. The following day being Sunday, which is quiet, but I am told that the bars are secretly opened by a back door as the law closes the front door access.
‘After visiting many of the local mines with her husband they returned to Coolgardie to prepare for their trip to Norseman’
30th October 1896- We have decided to camp on the road to Norseman which will take about a fortnight. There were many preparations to make, biscuits, candles, matches cocoa, salt butter etc. I bought some explorer rugs which are very thick and warm and are sown up into sacks to sleep in, I also bought some sheeting which was also sewed into sacks to put inside. We have an inch-thick mattress and a tent 8 x 6 and two folding chairs. Again we try to take the smalest amount of personal belongings.
We reached our first camping ground at 4.30 just 20 miles from Coolgardie. We quickly have a roaring fire going but on exploring our stores we find that there was no tea, this was quite a blow as ‘billy tea’ is part of bush life, so we had to have ‘billy cocoa’. It is really lovely sitting in the starlight by a bright wood fire. Our rug bags are most comfortable but a little difficult to get into.
31st October 1896 – Such a glorious morning, I never knew before with the beauty of a sunrise in the bush, sky clear and like mother of pearl, with such a rosy resplendent light. We have to be up early as there is breakfast to get and then the washing up and packing. The horses have to be groomed. The wheels have to be taken off the buggies and oiled and then replaced. The track here is very bad and the next watering place is Woodgee Mullia (Widgemooltha) which is our next camping ground. At last we get to the condenser close to town and give the horses a well-earned drink at 3d a gallon. We were made most welcome at the St Agnes mine by the manager Mr Gerhold. Some of the views around Norsreman are very fine. We are about 300ft above sea level here and can see Lake Douglas on one side and Lake Cowen on the other. There is gold being found everywhere, if they had water this place would astonish the world.
One thing in Western Australia which is so unsightly – is the vast quantity of empty meat tins that one sees on the track and in the bush and everywhere strew about in all directions. Sometimes they burn them to avoid the smell of bad meat but this hardly improves their appearance.
8th November 1896 – an early start back to Coolgardie with we hope to only have two nights camping out as the weather has broken and it is much colder. There are traces of rain everywhere, but the air is clear and beautiful. A few miles from Norseman we meet the coach which we hear is now going to run regularly and the driver informed us that there is water at the Twenty-Five-mile rocks which will save us an hour from our journey. Towards the last stage of the trip though Hampton Plains, we again began to feel the Coolgardie dust. It was quite dark when we finally arrived and we find our rooms full of another person’s luggage although we have paid to keep it for ourselves. It takes us some time to sort this out and unpack our belongings and we don’t get our dinner til 7.30. I retired to my room directly after but am too tired to sleep. It seems so noisy after the quiet of the bush camp
15th November 1896 – Today we leave for Perth at 9 o’clock. We have a carriage reserved which is a great comfort for such a long journey. The morning is very beautiful and we have plenty of time to look at the scenery as the train is fearfully slow and stops a great many times. We arrive at Southern Cross so much behind that we miss our sleeping carriage to Perth. This is a serious loss as I am quite unwell and unfit for travelling. With some difficulty, we manage to persuade the stationmaster to allow us to keep our carriage. We also found out that several prisoners are being transported in third class and are going to the convict prison in Fremantle. We make ourselves as comfortable as we can and arrive in Northam at 9.30. Northam is a very pretty place with hills all around and covered with trees. After the final leg of the trip, we arrive in Perth and are given the same rooms at the Metropol Hotel as we had before. The hotel seemed quieter, the cooking better and to my delight the mosquitos have gone. The next stage is Albany.
Catherine recounts her camping trip to Norseman and back to Coolgardie in a time when there were few women on the Goldfields. Her experience however would be a great deal removed from the average person, and it seems having money will provide most of the comforts of home if you could afford to pay even in these early days. She does however step in and does all the cooking and planning for the trip when she is abandoned by her maid. She speaks of the ever-present threat of typhoid fever and of the possibility of being attacked by local natives when camping in the bush with no great worry or concern.
The ‘Goldfields’ section only can be purchased at Hesperian Press
The whole book can be read free at – https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b1333757_1
Goldfields and Chrysanthemums – Catherine Bond
Moya Sharp
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