Abstract
Drawing on promotional literature and travel accounts of Western Australia, this chapter examines the enduring emphasis on the salubrious climate conditions of the colony prior to 1901. The chapter explores how officials and visitors frequently promoted the colonial climate in concert with the Swan River's proximity to India, Britain's jewel in the crown, from colonisation to Federation. It shows, 'tropical othering' continued to feature in Western Australian attempts to improve its circumstances long after the Colonial Office agreed to support Stirling's plans to establish a colony at the Swan River. According to Captain Mangles logic, the climate of Australia was so salubrious that it might undermine, rather than support, the colony's transportation demands. Transportation had ended in 1868 and the colony had failed to recover from the cessation of the flows of funds and people. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 did little to improve Western Australia's situation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Imperial Expectations and Realities |
| Subtitle of host publication | El Dorados, Utopias and Dystopias |
| Publisher | Manchester University Press |
| Pages | 89-104 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 1784997099, 9781784997090 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780719097867 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |