"Webster has adopted a novel and extremely interesting approach in this book, which discusses the siting of the major cities of Australia. Tony has blended a plethora of rich historical accounts with a detailed discussion of the controlling local features of water supply, physiography, landscape and geology to provide a comprehensive and thought provoking account of the establishment and growth of our capital cities. I can highly recommend this book to all who are interested in Australian settlement history and the factors that affected the establishment of our major urban centres." --Ross Large, University of Tasmania "This book may prove useful as an introduction to understanding the foundation of Australian capital cities for those who have little existing knowledge, and it could help those with an existing knowledge to acquire a better comprehension of the role of the natural environment in Australia's human history." -- Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society "[This] book contributes to understanding the foundation of Australian capital cities and the important role of geology in Australia's human history, particularly since European settlement. The factors that most influenced the growth of Australian settlements are likely to have operated elsewhere in the world and may provide guidance for the study of other cities founded by settler groups. The book may even have applications in the study of cities established in earlier eras for which detailed historic records are not available." -- The Australian Geologist.