"A Few Good Seasons Will Restore Prosperity to the Land": Louisa Atkinson's Depictions of Drought

"A Few Good Seasons Will Restore Prosperity to the Land":Louisa Atkinson's Depictions of Drought Grace Moore (bio) drought has always been a way life in Australia, but importation European farming techniques and animals exacerbated land's aridity nineteenth century continues do so today.1 The 1860s were, as state's official statistician, T.A. Coghlan, expressed it, period "distress acute suffering" New South Wales (448). A La Niña event between 1860 1864 saw weather oscillate periods extreme dryness flooding, with hit particularly badly. As climate historian Julia Miller notes, from 1855 1870 was cool mild, this enabled significant agricultural expansion (23). Looking back at end century, Coghlan remarked that "truly remarkable vicissitudes were very great, destruction property many instances accompanied by loss life" These climatic extremes formed backdrop much Australian novelist Louisa writing, which captures unsettled conditions Queensland early 1870s. novelist, nature writer, illustrator, taxidermist, botanist, Atkinson first Australian-born woman publish novel, Gertrude Emigrant (1857), work for its attentiveness landscape climate. In addition her fiction, renowned lifetime botanical discoveries writing. She penned weekly column Sydney Morning Herald until death 1872, offers an affective insightful understanding interactions settler land management systems home state Wales. Biographer Patricia Clarke notes age, both curious knowledgeable regarding plant animal bush (25–35). newspaper columns demonstrate, held Indigenous knowledge high regard, she learned great deal about surroundings men women knew personally.2 would certainly have understood seasons Australia not divide neatly into four, they northern hemisphere, rather six. Deborah Bird Rose observes, "the act mapping suggests standard or norm" resistant (38). comments meteorology works making connections weather, creatures, environment, "simultaneity" seasonal events, remarking "When march flies start biting, crocodiles are laying their eggs. When Jangarla tree … flowers, barramundi biting" (39). We can see something interconnectedness, or, puts "sequence co-occurrence," (38) accounts drought, sensitive responses birds [End Page 5] who relocate nesting sites response temperatures (see L.C. Atkinson).3 While families struggled contend intense heat summers strangeness new country's flora fauna, more accepting. Having born raised Wales, resists nostalgia green fields England takes delight introducing readers difference environment. Jill Ker Conway British colonial experience "represents battle harsh elements" (52). fiction follows pattern degree, although emphasizes lack is all too often root cause struggles. Whether narrating catastrophic consequences careless gold digger leaving campfire smoulder, short story "The Burning Forest" (1853), describing "sultry season" leads fire on "parched" Emigrant, sought educate dangers dry landscape.4 It most outspoken culture's effect land. begins article, "Hanging Rock Great Southern Road" (1871), a...