Rural dress in Australia [Volume 7, Part 3]

The Clothing Habits of Rural Australia Despite the common perception that dress has not been a preoccupation of Australians, who prefer practical and comfortable clothes, in fact, the history of Australia reveals a strong preoccupation with clothing from the outset. Established as a penal colony by England, the early settlers were far from home with few material comforts or familiar accoutrements of everyday life. The climate, landscape, vegetation, fauna, and flora were exotic, harsh, and alien. Immediate priorities were establishing supplies of food and creating habitable shelter—clothing the prisoners and settlers ran a close third