The British plan to settle Australia was a high-risk venture. We now
take it for granted that the first colony was the basis of one of the
most successful nations in the world today. But in truth, the New World
of the 18th century was dotted with failed colonies, and New South Wales
nearly joined them. The motley crew of unruly marines and bedraggled
convicts who arrived at Botany Bay in 1788 in leaky boats nearly starved
to death. They could easily have been murdered by the natives, been
overwhelmed by an attack from French or Spanish expeditions, or brought
undone by the Castle Hill uprising of 1804. Yet through fortunate
decisions, a few remarkably good leaders, and most of all, good luck,
Sydney survived and thrived. Bestselling historian David Hill tells the
story of the first three decades of Britain's earliest colony in
Australia in a fresh and compelling way.