Sydney Past and Present

An account of the early history of Sydney, Australia's first colonial city. Best known for his collection of light-hearted yarns, Steve Brown's Bunyip and other Stories, J. A. Barry first published the chapters of this book as a series of articles in the Town and Country Journal. Published shortly after the Federation of Australia in 1901, Barry's version of Sydney's nineteenth century history is anecdotal and entertaining, and opens a window on to the attitudes and concerns of its times.