Contents

Cover Page

About the Book

Title Page

Dedication

Epigraph

AUTHOR’S NOTE

List of abbreviations

INTRODUCTION: The Big Picture

PART 1: Purity

1 The Rising Sun — Sydney, 1901

2 A Condition Akin to Stupor — Melbourne, 1900

3 The Shrieking Sisterhood — Victoria, 1854–1900

4 They Did What They Could — Sydney, 1891

5 Setting the Torrens on Fire — South Australia, 1894

6 A Series of Miracles — Adelaide, 1897

7 National Housekeeping — Adelaide, 1897

8 The Great Day — Melbourne, 1901

9 May 1901 — a tableau

10 A Splendid Object Lesson — USA, 1901

11 The Question of How White — Melbourne, 1902

12 The World Fairly Stood Aghast — an interlude

13 The Modern Eve — Victoria, 1903

14 She Loved Politics — New South Wales, 1903

15 The Greatest Day That Ever Dawned — Australia, 16 December 1903

PART 2: Courage

16 The Fateful 12th May — London, spring 1905

17 No More Peace — London, autumn 1905

18 The Siege of Fort Montefiore — London, summer/autumn 1906

19 Electrify the House — London, winter 1907

20 The Social Laboratory — Australia, 1907

21 Trust the Women — London, spring/summer 1908

22 Force Majeure — London, summer 1908

23 A Generous Feeling of Solidarity — England, summer 1908

24 Chain Gang — London, autumn 1908

25 Rowdy and Repellent — Australia, spring 1908

26 Fight and Flight — London, winter 1909

27 The Envy of the World — Australia, autumn 1910

28 Homecoming Queen — Australia, winter 1910

29 Though Disaster Was Freely Prophesied — Australia, spring 1910; London, autumn 1910

PART 3: Hope

30 The Wonder Year — London, January 1911

31 The Heart of the Action — Melbourne, February 1911

32 Our Vida — London, March 1911

33 Counting for Nothing — London, April 1911

34 A Festival of Empire — London, May 1911

35 An Inconvenient Period of Domestic Cleaning — London, June 1911

36 The Greatest Procession Known in History — London, 17 June 1911

CONCLUSION: History in the Making

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Illustrations

Notes

Select bibliography

Copyright page