Pastoral Lands & Lives: Labour Relations, Social Networks and the Impact of Technology on Pastoral Stations of the South Burnett, 1890-1920

This thesis investigates the development of pastoralism in the Burnett region of Queensland, during the period 1890-1920. It considers the way in which labour relations developed in this period and how pastoral families’ social connections enabled their advancement. Further, it explores the way in which late modernity’s technological advancements (transportation, refrigeration, water sourcing, wire fencing), the federation drought, and changing land policy, all impacted the pastoral industry of Queensland. This investigation is being undertaken through an examination of a private collections of diaries, letters, stock and station records, and photographs of pastoralists of the Burnett region, circa 1880 – 1920.