THE WRITING OF KANGAROO - A CHRONOLOGY

(This is an updated version of the chronology, outlining what Lawrence wrote each day while he was in Sydney and Thirroul, which was published in the DH Lawrence Review in September 2013. Passages from Kangaroo and extracts from his letters and other original documents are in italics within square brackets.)

SATURDAY, 27/5/22

Malwa docks at the P&O wharf at Circular Quay about 6.40am. It is drizzling, and a rainbow arches over the low, grey city. Lawrence is probably met at the wharf by David Gerald Hum, a local businessman whom he had met earlier on his voyage from Naples to Colombo. (Hum's name is the only Sydney name he recorded in his address-book.) Hum had probably booked him into Mrs Scott's guest-house at 126 Macquarie Street, to which he arrives by taxi, and is overcharged by the driver. Lawrence and Frieda settle in. Possibly before lunch, Lawrence goes to Cooks office in Martin Place to pick up his forwarded mail, and perhaps to inquire about onward travel. After lunch Lawrence and Frieda start exploring the city, pausing to watch a march down Macquarie Street by Boy Scouts on their way to a reception at Government House. They stroll down Sussex Street towards the Haymarket, the market and Chinese area of town, possibly to check out the address of the Sydney Trades Hall. [...in Sussex Street he almost wept for Covent Garden and St. Martin's Lane…] Lawrence may have been given a letter of introduction to the Secretary of the NSW Trades and Labor Council, "Jock" Garden, whose headquarters was the Trades Hall, by William Siebenhaar (a fellow IWW supporter) in Perth. They return to their guest-house in Macquarie Street for dinner, where Lawrence caught up with his mail.

SUNDAY, 28/5/22

On Sunday, at the suggestion of Hum, Lawrence and Frieda embark on an excursion across Sydney Harbour to Manly and the northern beaches, to investigate accommodation possibilities. They board a ferry at Circular Quay and arrive at Manly wharf before lunch. They walk up the Corso to Manly ocean beach. They have some refreshments at a tea-room opposite the beach, where Frieda mislays her scarf. They catch a tram up the coast, through the northern-beach suburbs, to the terminus at Narrabeen. They buy food and drink and consume it on Narrabeen ocean beach. They start walking up Ocean Street towards the entrance of Narrabeen Lagoon, looking at houses on the way. They have an invitation to afternoon-tea at a house at the end of the road. Being early, they spend some time on the sand near the entrance to the lagoon, observing local boys skylarking. [...near at hand Somers saw another youth lying on the warm sand-hill in the sun. He had rolled in the dry sand while he was wet, so he was hardly distinguishable. But he lay like an animal on his face in the sun, and again Somers wondered at the thick legs. They seemed to run to leg, these people…] They go to the end-house where they join a number of people who are spending the last day of the school holidays there, including Gerald Hum and his family. Possible accommodation - their most pressing need - is discussed, and one of those present mentions that a house they know has just become vacant in Thirroul, a resort about 50 miles south of Sydney. An offer is made to take them down next day to see it. They are also offered a drive back to the city, via Collaroy, the next suburb, where Gerald Hum and his family are staying during the school holidays. They drop one of the other guests, a man called Jack Scott, off in Neutral Bay before returning to their guest-house in Macquarie Street for dinner.

MONDAY 29/5/22

Today Lawrence and Frieda prepare to travel down to see "Wyewurk" in Craig Street, Thirroul. In the late morning they take a stroll in the Botanic Gardens, returning to their guest-house in Macquarie Street for lunch. This is the opening scene in Kangaroo. [...A bunch of workmen were lying on the grass of the park beside Macquarie Street, in the dinner hour…] L&F attempt to take a taxi to Central Station, but there is a dispute over the fare. They catch a hansom cab instead. At Central they rendezvous with the people - members of the Friend family - who had told them about "Wyewurk". They catch the 2pm train and travel down to Thirroul, arriving about 4.30pm. They walk from the station towards the sea. One of the Friends, Dorothy Friend, goes to a local estate agent to get the key. They decide to rent the bungalow, and Lawrence and Dorothy Friend return to the estate agent to finalise details. L&F settle in about 5.30 pm, and spend their first night in Thirroul.