Release date is 2026-04-09

Alkuperäisen painoksen esipuhe -- Suomenkielisen painoksen esipuhe -- Australian ympäri -- Halki Australian -- Luonne ja tavat -- Urheilu Australiassa -- Valtiomuoto ja politiikka -- Henkinen elämä -- Havaintoja ja poimintoja -- Siirtolaisen mahdollisuudet -- Löytö ja asetus -- Historiallinen kehitys -- Alkuasukkaat.

Juhani Kärkkäinen and Tapio Riikonen

"Australia ja sen itsetietoinen kansa" by Lauri Laiho and Arthur Maurice Hyde is a travelogue and practical guide written in the early 20th century. It portrays Australia’s cities, landscapes, economy, politics, and daily manners through the combined perspectives of a Finnish visitor and an Australian collaborator. Aimed especially at European—and notably Finnish—readers, it blends itinerary-style observation with commentary on national character and prospects for immigrants.

The opening of the work sets out its purpose and dual authorship, promising fresh impressions supported by official statistics and local expertise, and framing the book as a much-needed Finnish guide. It then conducts a vivid circuit of Australia’s entry ports and capitals: the tidy calm of Perth and Fremantle; Adelaide’s flat, sunlit order; Melbourne’s bustling streets, shopfronts, and evening rhythms; Tasmania’s green river valleys and Hobart’s dignified harbor; Sydney’s dazzling, intricate harbor city; and Brisbane’s warm, subtropical ease—alongside tropical gateways like Thursday Island (multiethnic, pearl-diving), Darwin (sleepy but strategic), and Broome (pearling with strong Japanese presence). A long transcontinental rail journey follows, from wheat belts and the goldfields of Kalgoorlie across the Nullarbor’s heat, dust, and salt pans, into South Australia and Victoria’s Mallee clearing and old gold towns, on through the Murray country, the break-of-gauge at Albury, past Canberra’s vicinity, and up via Newcastle’s coal to Brisbane’s river city. The narrative then turns to “Character and customs,” sketching Australians as hospitable, egalitarian, and informal: generous on remote farms, supportive of war invalids, and democratically casual in greetings and social ritual, with a marked chivalry toward women. It observes family habits and education (polite, early-mature children), contrasts personal cleanliness with lax food handling (bakeries, milk delivery), notes grocery practices, meat-heavy meals, and lively lunch-hour street scenes with tea, football, and cards. It also contrasts strict Sunday quiet with a relaxed attitude to many religious holidays, and closes this opening stretch by highlighting an easygoing sense of time and punctuality. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Originally published: Porvoo: WSOY, 1930