ABSTRACT
Before the advent of the railway, travelling offered little enjoyment. By the middle of the nineteenth century Europe could at least rely on an extensive road system, built up over centuries, but in Australia good roads were scarce. Long distances and sparse settlements added to the hardship. Friedrich Gerstäcker was a very popular writer, who published numerous adventure stories about Australia and America. The descriptions of his journeys around the world were widely read and translated into English. The conveyance of persons and goods, as well as of the mail itself, is in the hands of private persons, who are only contracted by the government to deliver the mail at such and such an hour in a certain place. Passengers have to look after themselves, and the way they are treated is a sin against humanity.
