Visions from the Past

This book tells an Australian story. Through the eyes of an artist, we discover the Australia of the mid-19th century, developing from the days of convicts and freewheeling immigrants and adventurers into a young, dynamic country, attracting permanent settlers, pastoralists as well as those escaping religious persecution in their home country. With permanence comes art, and we experience through the narrator's keen observation the development of the early Australian art movement and the life of its artists, all part of creating this vibrant, new country.

About the Author: Satya Colpani is a writer based in Sydney. She has written several books. Excerpts from the books have been published in the Australian Journals, 'Span' and 'Outriders.' A chapter from Beyond the Black Waters, 'A Painful Beginning,' was presented by Professor Yasmine Gooneratne in her lecture 'Family Histories as Postcolonial Texts,' at the University of South Pacific.