Frances Louisa (Fanny) Brockman was from a prominent Western Australian family. Covering the last three decades of the 19th Century, her diary is a first-hand account of pioneer farming in the Margaret River area and the people
who lived and worked there. Fanny's entries tell of family relationships and the challenges she faced in managing staff and running properties as a single woman. On the wider front her diary opens a window onto much of the history of the State: the lure of pearling and the North West, the establishment of the timber industry and caves tourism in the South West, the discovery of gold and Federation; and provides a valuable timeframe for delving further.