It's 1841...
England and Australia are ruled by Queen Victoria - this is the 'Victorian era'.
Australia is changing fast. New homes and farms are springing up in South Australia, Western Australia and around Port Phillip (now Melbourne). New South Wales is now longer a dumping ground for convicts. Sydney is a bustling town, where thousands of people have come to seek their fortune.
Find out more about the real world of Letty and the Bushranger's Boys, by clicking the links below.
What did early Australian settlers like Letty eat?
Food was a lot plainer in 1841 - no pizzas, pastas or Asian takeaway. A recipe book written in 1846, called Modern Cookery (that title sounds funny now, doesn't it!) says, 'England's cookery has remained far inferior to that of nations much less advanced in civilzation'. Modern Cookery has recipes we probably wouldn't like much, like 'stewed lettuces' boiled for 'twenty to thirty minutes', and calves' feet '(Cheap and Good)'.
Victorian clothes were very different to ours, especially female clothes. Women wore long dresses with very big skirts. Girls clothes were similar, but their skirts didn't reach the floor. Until about the age of five, little boys also wore frilly dresses!
New South Wales wanted female immigrants in 1841. But when the young women and girls got off the ships in Sydney, they often had nowhere to go, just like Letty.
The only way to get to Australia in the old days was by ship.
Sailing to Australia was tough. Ships were crowded and uncomfortable. Hundreds of people were crammed onto a wooden boat, about 10 metres wide by 35 metres long (that's a bit longer and thinner than a netball court).