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There are a sandy beach and a large dock with plenty of commercial fishing vessel traffic in Canada. A 14km portion of the old London and Port Stanley Railroad still operates, running north beyond the village of Union to St Thomas Parkside. A one-hour trip costs $9 adult or you can go longer. Some 11km west and 3km south of St Thomas, near the village of Lona, is the South wold Prehistoric Earthworks National Historic Site. Surrounded by farmland are the earthwork remains of a double-walled Neutral Indian fort from around 1500-1650. It was once a village of about 600 people. Farther west, Point Pelee National Park, on the southernmost point of mainland Canada, is a top Lake Erie attraction. It's known for the thousands of birds that show up in spring and autumn on their migrations. Up to 342 species have been observed here - about 60% of all the species known in Canada. The fall migration of monarch butterflies is a highlight.

The region also contains some plants found nowhere else in the country, such as the prickly pear cactus. There are numerous nature trails, a 1.5kmboardwalk through the marsh, forest areas and sandy beaches within the park. Bicycles and canoes can be rented in the summer although the park remains open all year. To the east, the town of Westley has some accommodation and a provincial park where a violent storm swept much of the beach away in 1998. The camping area is good though. Note that during bird migration periods, this is a relatively busy area. Hillman Marsh on the shoreline north of Point Pelee offers good bird watching, a nature centre and a walking trail. Lakeside Leamington, north-east of the park, is Ontario's tomato capital and a major ketchup producer.

There are several motels and a seasonal tourist office on the main street. It's about 40km drive straight overland from Windsor, rather than around the lake shore. Do Drop Seacliff Drive W is a Swedish/English B&B. Rates are $35/50. For accommodation assistance, call the Chamber of Commerce Monday through Friday. From here and Kingsville, ferries run to the largest island in the lake, Pelee Island. Pelee (pronounced 'pee-lee') is halfway across to Ohio, and ferries run over to the USA side as well. Canada tourism ferries run from March to the beginning of December. Tickets cost $7.50 each way for adults; cars are $17. From the island, ferries run to Sandusky, Ohio. The island is known for its good beaches and small vineyards. Visit the ruins of Vin Villa Winery and the old lighthouse.

There are tours, with tastings, of Pelee Island Winery. Quite a variety of wines is produced here, including Canadian champagne. There are a few restaurants on the island, inns, and camping. Bicycles can be rented. During midsummer, ferries and accommodation should be booked in advance.

EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT in Australia

EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT

After a shaky start as settlers adapted to an unfamiliar land, the settlement at Sydney Cove grew rapidly in the early years of the nineteenth century, as thousands of free settlers took advantage of land grants and promised riches. Britain's stringent inheritance laws, under which firstborn sons claimed all land titles, led second and later sons in particular to the chance to strike out for themselves in this land of opportunity. Adelaide, in 1836, and Melbourne, in 1837, was settled by just such opportunists. 

Transportation of convicts ended in 1864. It is estimated that around 1, 60,000 convicts were sent to Australia over 76 years, most of who stayed on once they were freed.

While the number of convicts was insignificant when compared to the free settlers who streamed into Australia in the latter half of the nineteenth century attracted by gold, cheap land, and the promise of a new life-convict labor played a major role in building Australia's nascent cities. Strict inheritance laws saw that land in Britain was passed from father to the eldest son and could not be subdivided. Younger sons traditionally entered the clergy or the military.

The promise of generous land grants in New South Wales drew the younger sons of England's wealthy to emigrate and establish stock stations of a magnitude they could never have imagined back home - many of which still exist today. As freed convicts joined the increasing number of settlers attracted to the promise of this burgeoning southern land (where labor was in great demand), many began to appreciate that they were better off than if had they stayed in an over- crowded and recently industrialized England. Together, these disparate colonials and their children battled hostile environments to establish an indigenous culture based on solidarity and a distaste for authority.