Life was passing her by
- Samantha Elley
- 13 minutes ago
- 2 min read
While the world was progressing and inventions, such as the electric car or tram, were causing great interest in South Australia, one lady continued to live in quiet isolation.
Eliza Christiana Prescott had not visited Adelaide's city centre in 70 years, despite only living less than four kilometres away on the family farm, known as Prescott Farm. Her parents, William and Christian (nee Elve) came out to Australia from England in 1838, when Eliza was only five years old. The family moved to the East Terrace area, now known as Rose Park and Toorak Gardens.
They lived in a two room cottage and in an interview with a newspaper of the day, only nine months before her death, she recounted how the place looked when they first arrived.
"There was not much undergrowth, but mostly big gums and a few wild cherry trees and sheaoaks," she said. "We children used to get the sheaoak apples and chew them."
Eliza grew up with five brothers. The oldest brother William Augustus, stayed on the farm and they all eventually predeceased her. As a child, Eliza didn't last long at school and used to teach herself to write in the evenings, using the old copy slips her brothers, who did attend school, would be finished with.
The farm grew wheat, barley and oats and they had 68 cows for dairying. Eliza remembered working from 5am until midnight every day. She remembered the natives would come and cut down the wattles on the farm to build 'wurlies', or shelters. Their camp was nearby and she would hear them holding corroborees.
As a young girl, Eliza remembered going to town, only ever for shopping, not for pleasure and her brothers had to go with her, as she was not allowed to go alone. Then as they got older her brothers were busy or moved away. Eliza stopped going to town and so never experienced a tramcar or even a horse-drawn carriage.
When she was going to Adelaide she remembered many people lived in tents and wooden houses brought out from England, ready to be set up.
Eliza was a great reader, having copies of books from authors such as Frederick Marryat, E.P. Roe, Miss Wetherell, Sir Walter Scott and E.F. Benson. Charles Dickens was her favourite author and Ethel Turner's 'Seven Little Australians' was a special read.
Right up until her death, Eliza lived a very simple life, similar to how her parents did when they first arrived on the farm. She was still doing her own housework and reading and sewing without glasses. Her remains are in St George's cemetery, Magill, east of Adelaide.
References
'Death of a Toorak Pioneer', The Register', Friday 30 November, 1923, Page 9
'Eliza Christiana Prescott' Findagrave, accessed 17th June, 2026, Eliza Christiana Prescott (1833-1923) - Find a Grave Memorial
'The Prescott Farm', Observer, Saturday, 10 February, 1923, Page 40
'Adelaide Pioneer's Death', Western Argus, Tuesday, 4 December, 1923, Page 20