This book presents new pictures of the public and private lives of Australians of the recent past, as revealed through archaeological investigations.

The material world of European settlement in Australia has been uncovered not only by historians but also by the work of archaeologists. These archaeological inquiries have revealed new pictures of the public and private lives of Australians at home and at work. This book, previously published as a hardback under the title Of the Hut I Builded,now in paperback, presents the insights gained from such investigations and makes them available to a wide audience. Historical archaeology is broad ranging and this book discusses the first European towns, including those settlements that failed, the archaeological traces left by the convicts, and archaeological evidence of the agricultural, maritime, industrial, and manufacturing activities of early Australia. Graham Connah also examines the evidence of earliest contact between Europeans and Aboriginal people.

Foreword
Preface
1. 'There are no traces now': the material heritage of Australian history
2. 'They came by sea': the historical archaeology of precolonial contact
3. The birth of a nation: seeking the remains of early Sydney
4. 'It didn't always work': investigating the sites of failed settlements
5. The convict contribution: vestiges of the penal system
6. 'I built a little homestead': extracting history from houses
7. 'I cleared the land and fenced it': reading the rural landscape
8. 'Out of the ground came wealth': the archaeological evidence for mining
9. Made in Australia: information from industrial relics
10. 'The glad bright days have vanished': the potential of Australian historical archaeology
Suggested activities
Suggested reading
Index.