Can anyone suggest why a shopkeeper (actually a tobacconist) from Newcastle, Northumberland might take it into his head to travel to Western Australia c1907? He left his wife and two young sons behind, and they didn't sail to meet him in Perth until five years later! My understanding is that Western Australia was still in a depression at that time, following the Great Crash of 1891. It just seems a strange sort of decision for a family man to make. Would appreciate any insights. Regards, Lesley Constance Bay, Ontario