Australia, New Zealand and some islands of the South seas : $b Australia, New Zealand, Thursday island, the Samoas, New Guinea, the Fijis, and the Tongas

The narrative opens with a restless traveler setting out from the Philippines, hitching a modest steamer that snakes through the Dutch East Indies before threading the Great Barrier Reef toward Brisbane. The long, humid passage tests the senses with soggy bread, bitter water and a motley crew of passengers, while a sudden fever forces quarantine and a restless 25‑day stay on the equator. Yet the cool breezes off the reef finally revive the narrator’s spirits, turning the arduous journey into a promise of adventure.

Once ashore, the author walks through a continent that feels both boundless and intimate, marveling at deserts that stretch farther than a New York‑to‑Salt Lake drive and forests where ancient tree ferns whisper of prehistoric ages. The description blends vivid observations of harsh, sun‑baked landscapes with glimpses of the burgeoning gold fields, thriving sheep farms and the striking beauty of New Zealand’s mountains. It’s a travelogue that captures the awe of discovering a land so vast that even its mysteries seem just beyond the next horizon.