Historical information
The Willis Diary by GHS member Anne Paul is based on A Pioneer Squatter's Life (Item158). The Willis family were early settlers at Lower Plenty, just near where the hotel and old bridge are today. Anne has reviewed and analysed this chapter from Historical Records of Victoria, Vol. 6. The Crown, the land, and the squatter, 1835-1840. She includes further information on the Willis family and photographs of the archaeological dig at the Bridge Inn Hotel Mernda in 2017.
Significance
Diary of James L Willis from 1837, portraying hardships suffered in the young colony of Victoria.
Physical description
15 page, text and colour illustrations. Digital copy.
