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'Sorrel Pratt was the daughter of English parents who had come to the gold fields to seek their fortune, and though the fortune the Pratts finally acquired was real it was not founded on the precious yellow dust. Sorrel's impetuous romance with a boy her family disapproved of is movingly told.
The rough tent colonies of the gold fields; the excitement of those who struck it rich; the pioneers who farmed the wilderness "outback"; Australia's famous outlaw, Ned Kelly; the Chinese labourers; the growing middle class as cities sprang up and ship owners and greengrocers became rich overnight - all these are contrasted with life in Australia today as Debbie, a very modern girl, looking through some old family pictures of Sorrel Pratt and her family, rediscovers her own proud and adventurous history.' (Inside dust jacket)
Notes
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Author's note: 'The idea for The Biscuit-Tin Family came when I was visiting friends in Sydney. An old dressing mirror in the guest room ... had been brought to Australia by the hostess' great-grandmother during gold-rush days, when they lived in a tent on the gold-field... The voyage of the immigrant ship the Emigrant in the story is based on an old diary belonging to a sea captain who lived in my home town, Sunderland, England.' (Inside dust jacket)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
- Victoria,
