"This is the story of the home during the first 150 years of European settlement in Australia. It examines everything that was needed to make a home: bricks and mortar, timber and iron, furniture, furnishings, hardware, wallpaper, paint, lights, bric-a-brac - even the kitchen stove. The way in which all of the rooms were used is discussed and explained, throwing new light on life in our early houses and answering many intriguing questions. The book shows how important building designs and techniques were given a local flavour to produce a uniquely Australian style. Every type of home is discussed, from the settler's slab hut to the rich man's mansion, the weatherboard cottage in the country to the inner-city terrace with its cast-iron decoration."--BOOK COVER.