The Hunter to Macquarie Collection 1795-1822

Books 1-3 available now ($70 for 3) - book 4 coming soon. ($80 for 4)

When the idea of a penal settlement was first discussed in London, establishing such a plan became significantly more difficult than initially thought.

Captain James Cook's charting of the Great South Land opened new possibilities for them.

Prior to the war with the United States of America, over forty thousand convicts were sent to America. When that door closed, the rotting hulks in England became floating prisons. A solution was needed. Sir Joseph Banks suggested the Great South Land.

Eleven ships were prepared, provisioned and sent on their way. On them were seven hundred and seventy souls who were unlikely ever to see home or loved ones again. The first ship dropped anchor in Botany Bay on January 18th 1788.

Captaining one of these First Fleet Vessels was Captain John Hunter. HMS Sirius was the flagship of the fleet.

The collection begins with John Hunter assuming the leadership of the small settlement in 1795. His closest officers betrayed him. How can you lead an eclectic group of people when they won't even sit together in church?

Life at the top as governor was hard. Initially, there were the military personnel and convicts, but by 1795, the first free settlers arrived. Of the first nine governors, only three left voluntarily, but all were ill. All the others had to go home to face accusations of one kind or another.

These stories try to tell the story of four of them. Hunter, King, Bligh and Macquarie.

Much has been written about Bligh and the Rum Rebellion, so I focus on what living in the colony was like under their leadership rather than the governors.

In this collection, the titles are...

The Hunter to Macquarie Collection (1795-1822)

When Upon Life’s Billows (2025) (Captain John Hunter’s story)

The Saddler’s Song (2025) (George and Charlotte Ellis’s story)

Tuppence to Pass (2025) (Josh Callan and the Duffy’s story) (Nov 2025)

His Majesty’s Pageboy (2026) (Jack Turner’s story) (Jan 2026)

A Fist Full of Holey Dollars (2026) (Holey Dollar, Rudi Greenwood’s story) (April 2026)

Far From the Whispering Sheoaks (2026) (Phil Bentley’s story) (July 2026)

Bound Down in Iron Chains (2026) (Sydney Boys Orphanage, Howard Marlow) (Oct 2026)

Buddy’s Promise (2027) Obadiah “Buddy” Jensen & Emily Bolt) (Jan 2027)

First Nine NSW Governors

1. Captain Arthur Phillip, RN 26 Jan, 1788 to 10 Dec, 1792 Sick

2. Captain John Hunter, RN 11 Sept, 1795 to 27 Sept, 1800 Recalled

3. Captain Philip Gidley King, RN 28 Sept, 1800 to 12 Aug, 1806 Sick

4. Captain William Bligh, RN 13 Aug, 1806 to 26 Jan, 1808 Recalled

5. Major-General Lachlan Macquarie 1 Jan, 1810 to 1 Dec, 1821 Recalled

6. Major-General Sir Thomas Brisbane 1 Dec, 1821 to 1 Dec, 1825 Recalled

7. Lt-Gen. Ralph Darling 19 Dec, 1825 to 22 Oct, 1831 Recalled

8. Major-General Sir Richard Bourke 3 Dec, 1831 to 5 Dec, 1837 Recalled/Resigned

9. Sir George Gipps 24 Feb, 1838 to 11 July, 1846 Sick