Book chapter
Hazards and history on the Western Australian coast
Indian Ocean Histories: The Many Worlds of Michael Naylor Pearson, pp.175-195
Routledge India
2019
Abstract
The ‘Pearling Fleet Disaster’ on the Western Australian coast in April 1887 is one of the most significant disasters in Australian colonial history. This chapter revisits the disaster and its legacy, focusing on its impact on Broome, the port settlement that developed rapidly after 1887 to become one of the world’s largest pearling ports. It argues for the cyclone’s lasting influence on the character and lifestyle of Broome’s maritime society and points to the role of natural hazards in shaping adaptations to the coastal environment across the Indian Ocean at large. By placing the disaster in this context, the chapter also addresses the question of Australia’s place in the history of the Indian Ocean.
Details
- Title
- Hazards and history on the Western Australian coast
- Authors/Creators
- J. Christensen (Author/Creator)
- Contributors
- R. Mukherjee (Editor)R, Seshan (Editor)
- Publication Details
- Indian Ocean Histories: The Many Worlds of Michael Naylor Pearson, pp.175-195
- Publisher
- Routledge India; London
- Identifiers
- 991005540558307891
- Copyright
- © the contributor
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Murdoch University
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
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