Life in the Bush
The Australian life style was portrayed as one of the bushman although it was not . The
life of a typical Australian was really the city life . The bushman was one with no
classes and he treated every person as equal . A middle class person was the same as a
working class man . The bushman was a very trust worthy and helpful character he would
help a stranger as if it was his friend and if that friend needed anything he would be
glade to ofer him every thing he has .
The bushman lead gypsy like lifestyle with the constant moving and roaming round the
country side . They would often walk or ride horse back from place to place with their
tent and billy and camp out over night when they had no where to stay . The bushman
where very much like aborigines they tracked and did not need a compass or a map they
knew plants and trees . They called this bushcraft . A bushman would cook , clean , wash
his cloths and patch his pants this made them very independent . If a bushman was ordered
or commanded he would say " Are you talking to me or the dog ? " they treated everyone
equal and wanted to be treated equal .
They dressed in tweeds , flannel tops , with blue jumpers in the cold and yellow
oilskin jackets in the rain . They wore hard wearing blucher boots and broad felt hats .
The bushman would often have a drinkdown the pub . They often told stories to each other
as their past time . The bushmans homes were made from slabs of bark , green hide . The
houses were simple and didn't always show advantage . Nor dose it have to , the bushman's
home (bellow)
is there to shelter him .
In the 1880's writers and painters portrayed the bush life as better then the city
life . This bought on the image that all Australians lived in the bush .
City Life
The city life of Australia was not recognized as much as the bush life although most of
the population of Australia were present in the cities . The cities in the mid 1880's
were walking cities only the few wealthy were able to afford the private horse-drawn
transport . The wealthy with their transport were therefore able to live out side of the
city center . The working class worked and played short distances away from home . In the
1870's the population began to spread as factories and offices moved into the suburbs .
The bringing of people out into the suburbs was also because of the advent of cheaper ,
faster transport by way of horse drawn trams . In the 1880's steam and cable trams (
Above ) joined the cities to the suburbs .
Skilled workers could earn upto 8? and laborers at least earned ?2/10/. Cost of
living was reasonable with bread 4?d. for a pound of loaf : milk was 4d. a quart and meet
about 5d. a pound . Middle class and wealthy people were able to afford a Newfangled
phone . In 1860's land could be bought for 200? the land price jumped in the 1870 to
2000? the land continued to double every decade . The average rent was 50?in 1880 and in
1890 70? .
With the sorting of work hours a boom began in leisure began . Roller skating and
cyclorama were popular past times . Horse racing , cricket and football were popular
sporting activities this boom made football ( Australian Rules ) a very popular and
recognized sport .
The chart ( below ) shows the rapid growth of Melbourne . Melbourne enjoyed it's
successes from the gold rush era and also the boom . Melbourne was more recognized and
well know then Sydney and had a European feel about it which attracted people to it .
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