City Libraries, City of Gold Coast

Frontier justice, a history of the Gulf country to 1900, Tony Roberts

eng

Includes bibliographical references (p. [295]-303) and index

index present

Tertiary/UndergraduateGeneral

non fiction

Frontier justice

bibliography

61150742

Tony Roberts

a history of the Gulf country to 1900

"A challenging and illuminating history, 'Frontier justice' brings a fresh perspective to the Northern Territory's remarkable frontier era. For the newcomer, the Gulf country - from the Queensland border to the overland telegraph line, and from the Barkly Tableland to the Roper River - was a harsh and in places impassable wilderness. To explorers like Leichhardt, it promised discovery, and to bold adventurers like the overlanders and pastoralists, a new start. For prospectors in their hundreds, it was a gateway to the riches of the Kimberley goldfields. To the 2,500 Aboriginal inhabitants, it was their physical and spiritual home. From the 18702, with the opening of the Coast Track, cattlemen eager to lay claim to vast tracts of station land brought cattle in massive numbers and destruction to precious lagoons and fragile terrain. Black and white conflict escalated into unfettered violence and retaliation that would extend into the next century, displacing, and in some areas destroying, the original inhabitants. The vivid characters who people this meticulously researched and compelling history are indelibly etched from diaries and letters, archival records and eyewitness accounts. Included are maps with original place names, and previously unpublished photographs and illustrations." -- book cover

Preface -- 1. Pioneers of the Coast Track -- 2. In the steps of the pioneers -- 3. A most dangerous place -- 4. Birth and decline of Borroloola -- 5. The pastoral frontier -- 6. Lifting the veil -- 7. Roper country -- 8. McArthur River Station -- 9. The Gulf coast -- 10. The Barkly -- 11. Border country -- Appendix. European deaths from misadventure