Publisher's Synopsis
Through a combination of riveting tales of escape, exploration, and bushranging, this engaging account documents a little-known facet of Australian history as a penal colony, revealing some of the first, reluctant settlers' misconceptions of the island. From the belief that China was a few days' walk north of Sydney to the delusion that Timor was only a short distance overland, the document recalls the escape myths that ran rampant, disrupting the colony and leaving the authorities with little clue as to how to suppress them. A daring and desperate tale, the narrative also delves into the impact of these outrageous beliefs on the development of colonial Australia.
