This volume investigates the motivations and experiences of Australian women who migrated to London between 1870 and 1940 to pursue professional and personal opportunities. Angela Woollacott, a historian specializing in gender and colonial history, utilizes archival records and personal narratives to analyze how these women navigated the imperial metropolis. The book argues that these migrations were central to the construction of modern Australian identity and highlights the complex interplay between colonial status, whiteness, and gender roles during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Historians and scholars of colonial studies recognize this work as a significant contribution to the understanding of gendered migration within the British Empire. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the research and the clarity with which the author connects individual experiences to broader historical trends.