Early Experiences in Australasia

Manly Library is trialling a new database until the end of June that may be of interest to genealogists. It is Early Experiences in Australasia: Primary Sources and Personal Narratives 1788–1901.  According to the vendor this database provides a unique and personal view of events in the region from the arrival of the first settlers through to Australian Federation at the close of the nineteenth century. Through first-person accounts, including letters and diaries, narratives, and other primary source materials, we are able to hear the voices of the time and understand the experiences of those who took the great challenge in new lands.

From the earliest settlers to convicts and free settlers and those who later answered the call of the Gold Rush, these letters and diaries tell us about life on ships and in settlements in a particularly intimate way.

Early Experiences in Australasia: Primary Sources and Personal Narratives 1788–1901 currently includes 33,776 pages of stories semantically indexed to allow users to find stories of life in the new world. Browse by subjects, places, dates and more. You can limit your advanced searches by author details, place written, subjects discussed and more. The collection will continue to grow up to 100,000 pages. Currently live content is a combination of archival content and early published works from around Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

If you would like to try this database, please ask at the Library