Enterprise, risk and ruin

"This book paints a broad picture of life in Van Diemen's Land and Tasmania from the earliest European settlement right through to the 1920s. It charts the changes in colonial society as former convicts moved into the mainstream, the roles played by women in what was traditionally a man's field, the threat of bushrangers, the beginnings of tourism, the opening of access to remote areas rich in mineral resources, and the tussle with the developing railway network -- and eventually, motor vehicles. As a result, it will be of great value to all those with an interest in Tasmanian history."--Back cover.