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The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter: William Buckley, John Batman and the Theft of Kulin Country
By the bestselling author of The Ship That Never Was
Just after Christmas 1803, convict William Buckley fled an embryonic settlement in the land of the Kulin nation (now the Port Phillip area), to take his chances in the wilderness. A few months later, the local Aboriginal people found the six-foot-five former soldier near death. Believing he was a lost kinsman returned from the dead, they took him in, and for thirty-two years Buckley lived as a Wadawurrung man, learning his adopted tribe's language, skills and methods to survive.
The outside world finally caught up with Buckley in 1835, after John Batman, a bounty hunter from Van Diemen's Land, arrived in the area, seeking to acquire and control the perfect pastureland around the bay. What happened next saw the Wadawurrung betrayed and Buckley eventually broken. The theft of Kulin country would end in the birth of a city. The frontier wars had begun.
By the bestselling author of The Ship That Never Was, The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter is a fascinating and poignant true story from Australian colonial history.
Just after Christmas 1803, convict William Buckley fled an embryonic settlement in the land of the Kulin nation (now the Port Phillip area), to take his chances in the wilderness. A few months later, the local Aboriginal people found the six-foot-five former soldier near death. Believing he was a lost kinsman returned from the dead, they took him in, and for thirty-two years Buckley lived as a Wadawurrung man, learning his adopted tribe's language, skills and methods to survive.
The outside world finally caught up with Buckley in 1835, after John Batman, a bounty hunter from Van Diemen's Land, arrived in the area, seeking to acquire and control the perfect pastureland around the bay. What happened next saw the Wadawurrung betrayed and Buckley eventually broken. The theft of Kulin country would end in the birth of a city. The frontier wars had begun.
By the bestselling author of The Ship That Never Was, The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter is a fascinating and poignant true story from Australian colonial history.
320 pages, ebook
First published August 15, 2020
36 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Adam Courtenay
8 books28 followersAdam Courtenay is a Sydney-based writer and journalist. He has had a long career in the UK and Australia, writing for papers such as the Financial Times, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Financial Review and the UK Sunday Times. He is the son of Australia's best-loved storyteller Bryce Courtenay and the author of several Australian histories, including The Ship that Never Was, Three Sheets to the Wind and Mr Todd's Marvel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
August 6, 2024
History high school has failed us, my daughter agrees: “Sugar coated stories that just glorify the colonists, not telling the truth about the indigenous” She is getting to know the land discussed in this book, and I’m so pleased to share this book with my family. Meticulously researched, this book should be on high school/tertiary reading lists.
The real story of how Melbourne came to be, the murky stories behind this birth show many confronting issues. Central to this is William Buckley, a gentle giant, a convict charged for ‘handling stolen Irish cloth’. I felt a great affinity for the man, as the story is told over decades. The strong labouring man from Cheshire with the world at his feet.
He had arrived. If his new friends weren't quite yet to his taste, the same can't be said for his new environment, which when he arrived was turning on its spring bounty. It was ruggedly beautiful yet perfectly and purposely nurtured, a landscape graced by countless generations who had moulded and cultured it into a home. Beautiful!
Living alongside the Wadawurrung for over 30 years, after courageously fleeing his desire for freedom so great; almost to perish. Welcomed into the clan, regarded as a ghost and living harmoniously, a wonder to them all. This was never to be a forever story, as the colonists encroached settle lands they did not know, annihilating indigenous food sources that had been so perfectly aligned for generations before.
This story can’t be joyful, but there were moments of light with natural language creating enjoyable pockets. The posse and War was declared when one of their own was killed.. it represented a threat to themselves, the monied squattocracy. And this, referring to Buckley’s small wife, I loved. When they walked out together, she couldn’t reach his arm, so he tied a handkerchief to his elbow, ensuring she would be attached.
Well used up by his white kinsman as the go between with the indigenous to trade land for goods, to maintain unattainable promises, and to provide guidance on a land never to be understood. Arthur, of course, had his ear to the ground and was advising Batman accordingly. I love this!
To snuff out the waft of rebellion, some wild ideas were at the fore. Out there, the convicts were told, you'd be taking your chances with man-eaters. It was one of the best pieces of propaganda the British - and, indeed, most Europeans - had ever invented, a fear so indelibly stamped into the convict psyche that it was rarely questioned.
Highlighting the mutual respect: The nervous, quiet giant suddenly took command.. Gellibrand saw a new light come into Buckley’s eyes. He called out the names of places and greeted the land as the horses rushed past. Sometimes he was speaking in English, at other times the local tongue.
..once they saw the unmistakable white giant, started running towards him. The children made for him first, screaming at the top of their voices…
It was a collision of love. Buckley was picking up the children and throwing them gently on top of each other, wrestling with them in the grass, and singing to them in the grass, and singing to them in a language Gillibrand couldn’t understand. The lawyer stood transfixed, watching Buckley being smothered in adoration.
My aim here was to impress upon you William the man, and the brilliant way Adam Courtenay bought it together on the page for me. Thank you Adam, for my physical copy. A new author to add to my repertoire of knowledge.
The real story of how Melbourne came to be, the murky stories behind this birth show many confronting issues. Central to this is William Buckley, a gentle giant, a convict charged for ‘handling stolen Irish cloth’. I felt a great affinity for the man, as the story is told over decades. The strong labouring man from Cheshire with the world at his feet.
He had arrived. If his new friends weren't quite yet to his taste, the same can't be said for his new environment, which when he arrived was turning on its spring bounty. It was ruggedly beautiful yet perfectly and purposely nurtured, a landscape graced by countless generations who had moulded and cultured it into a home. Beautiful!
Living alongside the Wadawurrung for over 30 years, after courageously fleeing his desire for freedom so great; almost to perish. Welcomed into the clan, regarded as a ghost and living harmoniously, a wonder to them all. This was never to be a forever story, as the colonists encroached settle lands they did not know, annihilating indigenous food sources that had been so perfectly aligned for generations before.
This story can’t be joyful, but there were moments of light with natural language creating enjoyable pockets. The posse and War was declared when one of their own was killed.. it represented a threat to themselves, the monied squattocracy. And this, referring to Buckley’s small wife, I loved. When they walked out together, she couldn’t reach his arm, so he tied a handkerchief to his elbow, ensuring she would be attached.
Well used up by his white kinsman as the go between with the indigenous to trade land for goods, to maintain unattainable promises, and to provide guidance on a land never to be understood. Arthur, of course, had his ear to the ground and was advising Batman accordingly. I love this!
To snuff out the waft of rebellion, some wild ideas were at the fore. Out there, the convicts were told, you'd be taking your chances with man-eaters. It was one of the best pieces of propaganda the British - and, indeed, most Europeans - had ever invented, a fear so indelibly stamped into the convict psyche that it was rarely questioned.
Highlighting the mutual respect: The nervous, quiet giant suddenly took command.. Gellibrand saw a new light come into Buckley’s eyes. He called out the names of places and greeted the land as the horses rushed past. Sometimes he was speaking in English, at other times the local tongue.
..once they saw the unmistakable white giant, started running towards him. The children made for him first, screaming at the top of their voices…
It was a collision of love. Buckley was picking up the children and throwing them gently on top of each other, wrestling with them in the grass, and singing to them in the grass, and singing to them in a language Gillibrand couldn’t understand. The lawyer stood transfixed, watching Buckley being smothered in adoration.
My aim here was to impress upon you William the man, and the brilliant way Adam Courtenay bought it together on the page for me. Thank you Adam, for my physical copy. A new author to add to my repertoire of knowledge.
October 1, 2021
Wow, this book is incredible! The Ghost & the Bounty Hunter was given to me on my birthday last year by my darling hubby and is sitting pretty on my keeper shelf and it’s not going anywhere. Love the cover. Love the title. And to keep it sparkling new I listened to the audio version narrated by John Derum. I’m always up for a history lesson and the story that Adam Courtenay tells of escaped convict William Buckley, Bounty Hunter John Batman, and the Kulin People was very informative.
I look forward to listening to The Ship that Never Was!
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2021: #48 - A free book from your TBR list (gifted, borrowed, library)
I look forward to listening to The Ship that Never Was!
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2021: #48 - A free book from your TBR list (gifted, borrowed, library)
March 30, 2020
I just finished reading The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter after getting my hands on it only 3 days ago. Since then, it was difficult to put it down.
Courtenay does an amazing job at telling the incredible interwoven stories of the Kulin people, John Batman, and William Buckley.
Besides the stories of these complex and intriguing characters and peoples, the book is jam packed full of history. Courtenay's clearly went to great lengths trawling through diaries, letters, first-hand accounts, biographies, and literature in order to paint a detailed picture for the reader of what life was like in early colonial Australia, the dilemmas faced by indigenous and European people as their worlds collided, how the indigenous people not only lived, but thrived, in the area, and their tragic downfall with the unstoppable colonial expansion.
Buy it, read it, and then read it again!
Courtenay does an amazing job at telling the incredible interwoven stories of the Kulin people, John Batman, and William Buckley.
Besides the stories of these complex and intriguing characters and peoples, the book is jam packed full of history. Courtenay's clearly went to great lengths trawling through diaries, letters, first-hand accounts, biographies, and literature in order to paint a detailed picture for the reader of what life was like in early colonial Australia, the dilemmas faced by indigenous and European people as their worlds collided, how the indigenous people not only lived, but thrived, in the area, and their tragic downfall with the unstoppable colonial expansion.
Buy it, read it, and then read it again!
May 4, 2020
Yet another absorbing read from the pen of Adam Courtenay. I love the way he corrects the 'victor's history' we were taught at school in the 1970's and 80's - and 'outs' those forefathers of ours who placed a shameful stain on Australia map.
I look forward to the next one!
I look forward to the next one!
April 10, 2020
I had been eagerly awaiting the new book by Adam Courtenay and it did not disappoint! Courtenay has a wonderful gift of storytelling. He finds colourful characters, researches them thoroughly and brings them to life so the reader understands their motives and actions and can feel keen interest and even some empathy or admiration. The Ship that Never Was was his previous foray into Australian history telling of the adventures of 10 convicts including the cheeky anti-establishment larrikin James Porter who was determined to regain his freedom, even if he had to go to the ends of the earth to do it. William Buckley, ‘The Ghost’ in his new tale, is also a convict and also seeking his freedom, but a completely different character. Despite having all odds against him, this gentle giant found a way of living an extraordinary life with an Indigenous community who adopted him as their own. In contrast is the flawed John Batman, the ‘Bounty Hunter’ and white pioneer, whose motives were more self seeking and who inevitably leaves Buckley trapped between two worlds. Through these fascinating characters Courteney explores the inequality and double standards of the time but, as a good historical exploration should, it draws parallels with our own society leaving us questioning and challenging our attitudes and beliefs.
April 28, 2020
Adam Courtenay has produced yet another exciting page-turner, in his latest novel “The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter”.
The lives of convict William Buckley, the Kulin Tribe members of the Wadawurrung Country (now Port Phillip Bay)and Bounty Hunter John Batman, are cleverly interwoven into a great tale of hardship, compassion, poignancy and betrayal.
The history of this time was previously unknown to me, however I’ve avidly researched it since finishing the novel in three days.
Bravo .
The lives of convict William Buckley, the Kulin Tribe members of the Wadawurrung Country (now Port Phillip Bay)and Bounty Hunter John Batman, are cleverly interwoven into a great tale of hardship, compassion, poignancy and betrayal.
The history of this time was previously unknown to me, however I’ve avidly researched it since finishing the novel in three days.
Bravo .
September 11, 2020
A brilliant look into the lives of the first settlers of what is now Melbourne and the devastating effect their arrival had on the indigenous people. Well written with a fascinating protagonist in William Buckley.
May 23, 2020
This sort of historical work is not usually my cup of tea but I enjoyed it immensely. I had only read about 80 pages when I participated in a Zoom Author talk and at that stage I was struggling. After the talk I felt that my perspective on Reconciliation issues was illuminated and I was inspired to complete reading the book with renewed vigour. The work flowed well and it had a comfortable style to read. The references to Indigenous culture were consistent in their reporting and appeared to be well researched and documented. References to the Morgan - Buckley work was largely treated non- judgementally and sympathetically explained. Adam spoke passionately about his work and I appreciate the impetus it gave me to read on - a good decision. Would like to highly recommend this book to other readers. I fully intend to add “The ship that never was” to my future reading list.
November 28, 2020
I weep for all the Kulin people lost.
June 27, 2020
I loved Adam Courtenay’s earlier book, ‘ The Ship That Never Was’ and was looking forward to this one, his latest release. A more serious, poignant story was told in this work about the anti-hero Buckley and his life with the Wadawurrang people compared with the great escape tale of Porter and co of ‘The Ship...’. But it’s handled once again with such skill, balance and humanity that I’m sure it will go down as one of the great works in Australian historical writing to explore the truths (as best they can be discovered) of the destruction by stealth of the Indigenous way of life in south eastern Australia. The thing I admire most about this author’s works is his vivid, gripping and very human account of the sophistication with which the authorities of the time and their mercenary accomplices organised themselves to successfully achieve their colonising objectives with such breathtaking and efficient brutality. Another great book from Adam Courtenay - looking forward to the next one.
July 11, 2020
When escaped convict, William Buckley, found himself deep in the Victorian wilderness as good as dead, he was literally 'resurrected' when nurtured by the local indigenous people, who embraced him as a returned member of one of their late kin. I would hazard that William Buckley has been resurrected for the second time in the pages of The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter by Adam Courtenay, whose meticulous research and rich story telling, has given Buckley, and the Kulin people he lived among for over 30 years, a voice which has been overlooked throughout most of our history.
This book is particularly poignant for this generation as we seek to come to terms with our colonial past along with the misunderstandings and tragedies which ensued. Perhaps more than any other person in our history, Buckley understood what it meant to be conflicted and compromised, caught between two vastly different cultures and trying desperately to keep peace.
This book is particularly poignant for this generation as we seek to come to terms with our colonial past along with the misunderstandings and tragedies which ensued. Perhaps more than any other person in our history, Buckley understood what it meant to be conflicted and compromised, caught between two vastly different cultures and trying desperately to keep peace.
July 16, 2020
This book cleared up some discrepancies that didn't sit well with me from another book re William Buckley (which at the time I felt were probably the work of the ghost writer of his autobiography, rather than outright lies told by the man himself - I still prefer to think he would have omitted rather than told sensationalist lies about his Kulin family...) so I'm extremely grateful to Adam Courtenay for that! My Mob are river people from over the border (in NSW) but of the Kulin Nation/language group and I grew up on Wadawurrung land (in Vic) and know a lot of the places (and descendants of some of the people) mentioned, so I found it a fascinating read
May 15, 2020
This is a wonderful book both in the style it is written in and the information it contains . This is the account of how William Buckley , a convict, escaped from Sullivan's Bay, was adopted by the Wadawurrung people and later helped to be a peace-maker between them and men like John Batman and other early white settlers. Whilst Adam's previous book was very jolly, he described this one as having more pathos , and that's certainly true; Buckley's role as a go-between almost certainly saved lives on both sides and yet "He left because he couldn't continue being Judas. At the heart of it was a wretched self-awareness that his job was to deceive the people he loved ". I learnt so much about the Kulin nation that I was unaware of and have a deeper respect for their customs. The book also answered the question that I've been wondering about for years ; why did Collins set up the settlement of Sullivan's Bay in such an appalling spot with no fresh water etc. ? ( Answer: to ward off any pesky French !) I also discovered that so much of the Kulin food sources, such as the Murnong, were basically destroyed by the huge number of livestock that were brought here and that contributed greatly to so many starving to death. I think it's interesting that today, growing "Bush Tucker" is very trendy . I appreciate the inclusion of the Bibliography and Sources so that further reading can be accessed if desired. Well done Adam. A book all Australians should read.
July 10, 2020
Another well researched and absorbing book from Adam Courtenay which reveals events not often reported in the "white history" of Australia. It is important for all Australians to know this alternative history to better understand and appreciate what really happened - not just what we were taught at school.
Just after Christmas 1803, convict William Buckley fled an embryonic settlement in the land of the Kulin nation (now the Port Phillip area), to take his chances in the wilderness. A few months later, the local Aboriginal people found the six-foot-five former soldier near death. Believing he was a lost kinsman returned from the dead, they took him in, and for thirty-two years Buckley lived as a Wadawurrung man, learning his adopted tribe's language, skills and methods to survive. The outside world finally caught up with Buckley in 1835, after John Batman, a bounty hunter from Van Diemen's Land, arrived in the area, seeking to acquire and control the perfect pastureland around the bay. What happened next saw the Wadawurrung betrayed and Buckley eventually broken. The theft of Kulin country would end in the birth of a city. The frontier wars had begun. By the bestselling author of The Ship That Never Was, The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter is a fascinating and poignant true story from Australian colonial history.
Just after Christmas 1803, convict William Buckley fled an embryonic settlement in the land of the Kulin nation (now the Port Phillip area), to take his chances in the wilderness. A few months later, the local Aboriginal people found the six-foot-five former soldier near death. Believing he was a lost kinsman returned from the dead, they took him in, and for thirty-two years Buckley lived as a Wadawurrung man, learning his adopted tribe's language, skills and methods to survive. The outside world finally caught up with Buckley in 1835, after John Batman, a bounty hunter from Van Diemen's Land, arrived in the area, seeking to acquire and control the perfect pastureland around the bay. What happened next saw the Wadawurrung betrayed and Buckley eventually broken. The theft of Kulin country would end in the birth of a city. The frontier wars had begun. By the bestselling author of The Ship That Never Was, The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter is a fascinating and poignant true story from Australian colonial history.
August 13, 2020
A subtle criticism of economic rationalist societies
We have seen and heard countless stories of indigenous people forcibly shedding their cultures for that of the coloniser. Courtenay’s latest book “the Ghost and the Bounty Hunter“ offers us a rare counter narrative.
He tells a captivating story about escaped convict, William Buckley, and his life with the Wadawurrung people. They took him in because they believed that he was a ghost of one of their ancestors (because of his white skin) and treated him as an esteemed member of their group.
It was fascinating to learn about some of the cultural aspects of the Wadawurrung through Buckley’s encounters with them. Many of the descriptions are sobering reminders of how divorced modern industrialised capitalist societies are from their ecological and sustainable way of life, which saw the individual as inseparable from the group.
For example, echoing Bruce Pascoe’s book Dark Emu, Courtenay describes the tribe's sophisticated farming practices, which are akin to some regenerative agriculture methods practiced today. He also explains that, if a crime is committed, a relative of the perpetrator could receive the greatest punishment because they failed to teach the rules. In a culture, obsessed with individual responsibility, rather than blaming (and seeking to change) flawed and unjust systems which can lead to crimes and other misdemeanours, we would do well to learn from their philosophy and practices.
Courtenay skillfully navigates different perspectives of Buckley’s experiences using a range of primary and secondary sources. His sensitivity, for example, to some controversial claims such as cannibalism, is impressive and, overall, he offers readers balance and texture.
The book actually reminded me of the 1990 film with Kevin Cosner 'Dances with Wolves’ - the story of an American soldier joining a native American tribe and never leaving. But, in contrast to the film, the book is far more complex, not to mention historically accurate!
We have seen and heard countless stories of indigenous people forcibly shedding their cultures for that of the coloniser. Courtenay’s latest book “the Ghost and the Bounty Hunter“ offers us a rare counter narrative.
He tells a captivating story about escaped convict, William Buckley, and his life with the Wadawurrung people. They took him in because they believed that he was a ghost of one of their ancestors (because of his white skin) and treated him as an esteemed member of their group.
It was fascinating to learn about some of the cultural aspects of the Wadawurrung through Buckley’s encounters with them. Many of the descriptions are sobering reminders of how divorced modern industrialised capitalist societies are from their ecological and sustainable way of life, which saw the individual as inseparable from the group.
For example, echoing Bruce Pascoe’s book Dark Emu, Courtenay describes the tribe's sophisticated farming practices, which are akin to some regenerative agriculture methods practiced today. He also explains that, if a crime is committed, a relative of the perpetrator could receive the greatest punishment because they failed to teach the rules. In a culture, obsessed with individual responsibility, rather than blaming (and seeking to change) flawed and unjust systems which can lead to crimes and other misdemeanours, we would do well to learn from their philosophy and practices.
Courtenay skillfully navigates different perspectives of Buckley’s experiences using a range of primary and secondary sources. His sensitivity, for example, to some controversial claims such as cannibalism, is impressive and, overall, he offers readers balance and texture.
The book actually reminded me of the 1990 film with Kevin Cosner 'Dances with Wolves’ - the story of an American soldier joining a native American tribe and never leaving. But, in contrast to the film, the book is far more complex, not to mention historically accurate!
June 17, 2020
An excellent modern re-telling of Kulin Country in the region of Port Phillip Bay of what was to become Melbourne and Geelong. Fascinating to listen to the audiobook. Held me enthralled.
Well researched using some of the rare early material held in the State Library of Victoria.
Recounted as well as Bruce Pascoe did in his book Dark Emu and as Cassandra Pybus did in her book on Truganini.
Well researched using some of the rare early material held in the State Library of Victoria.
Recounted as well as Bruce Pascoe did in his book Dark Emu and as Cassandra Pybus did in her book on Truganini.
July 1, 2020
I'm having many of the same feelings as I did with Dark Emu: how do I not know about this, why didn't we learn this at school?
Everyone from Melbourne and Victoria should read and know these stories and this is an entertaining read so there's no excuse!
Everyone from Melbourne and Victoria should read and know these stories and this is an entertaining read so there's no excuse!
November 11, 2020
Another excellent read from Adam Courtenay. Having now read two of his books I feel I know a great deal more about the penal colonies and early settlement in Australia. I was aware of Buckley but not the full extent of what he did. Not a happy story but a very a fascinating story that is well written and very readable.
October 2, 2020
What a great read!! I have enjoyed learning more about early colonial times in Victoria. Thoroughly researched, an amazing story of William Buckley and his time spent with the Kulin people.
A highly recommended read!!
A highly recommended read!!
July 27, 2020
Great book about William Buckley who was shipped to Australia sent to what would become Melbourne, escaped and lived with Aboriginal people for a long time until more settlers arrived from Tasmania.
August 10, 2020
So fascinating to learn about the real history of the area where I live. A highly recommended read.
April 28, 2020
A skilfully researched historical novel that weaves an intriguing, and at times brutal, account of William Buckley’s life amongst the Kinin nation and Wadawurrung people, and his own kind, in the area we know as Port Phillip Bay.
Buckley lived amongst the Wadawurrung people for over 32 years, learning their language, social and cultural customs and gaining their respect and trust. With colonial settlement reaching Port Phillip Bay in the mid 1830s, John Batman enlisted Buckley to achieve a peaceful agreement to what became an insidious push for European settement over indigenous lands. Buckley became disillusioned with the inevitability of the displacement and subjugation of the Wadawurrung peoples’ way of life and their contact with the land, and sailed to Hobart, where he lived until his death.
An enlightening read of a dark time in the early colonial settlement of southern Victoria, leading up to the establishment of Melbourne.
Buckley lived amongst the Wadawurrung people for over 32 years, learning their language, social and cultural customs and gaining their respect and trust. With colonial settlement reaching Port Phillip Bay in the mid 1830s, John Batman enlisted Buckley to achieve a peaceful agreement to what became an insidious push for European settement over indigenous lands. Buckley became disillusioned with the inevitability of the displacement and subjugation of the Wadawurrung peoples’ way of life and their contact with the land, and sailed to Hobart, where he lived until his death.
An enlightening read of a dark time in the early colonial settlement of southern Victoria, leading up to the establishment of Melbourne.
April 25, 2021
By far the best book about William Buckley, John Batman and the foundation of Melbourne that I have read. The tale of William Buckley is almost mythical, and it is refreshing to hear it retold with such scholarship, sensitivity without losing any of the engaging elements of the story. I have read other histories of this era and place, some of which have been quite good, and some which have been pretty terrible. I really enjoyed the continuing acknowledgement of the role of Aboriginal people in this history. They are seen as integral, and not surprisingly, the story leaves the reader with a great sense of anger and tragedy. As someone who was born, grew up and lives in Melbourne, this story particularly resonated with me as I have been to almost all of the places mentioned in this story. This really brought home the reality of the history to me, and left me with a profound sense of loss. However, don’t let that put you off – the story needs to be told and I suggest that you embrace this one - by the far the best account I have heard. PS I say ‘heard’ because I listened to the excellent audiobook. Incredible work!
September 28, 2021
What can I say? This book is incredible. I’m not really a nonfiction fan in general, but Adam Courtenay really did an incredible job of eloquently weaving together boatloads of scholarly information. I feel informed and educated on a subject of which I previously knew nothing. It was fascinating, exciting, enjoyable, and brilliantly executed.
July 11, 2020
The author explores the life of William Buckley and the less sympathetic John Batman. The history of how the Kulin people lost their land is tragic; the cunning and selfishness of many of the white settlers depressing. Well researched and well worth a read.
July 23, 2021
A great read, full of Australian early history, Ill read this one again.
June 17, 2020
This latest work from Adam Courtenay is a 'must read' for all Australians. It's so readable!
Oh, how I wish we had books of this type when I was at high school in the early 1960s!
I would have paid much more attention to learning about our colonial history had our texts been as interesting and relevant as this.
Tough times call for tough people and in more ways than one, the convict William Buckley stood head and shoulders above most on all counts. He had an extraordinary life of acceptance amongst the people of the Kulin nation for some 32 years, but found himself in a most difficult position with his adopted people when John Batman arrived to 'take up' land in Port Phillip Bay.
"The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter" paints a disturbing picture of the early Victorian colonists, in the regions we know today as Melbourne, the Yarra Valley and the Bellarine.
August 1, 2020
An interesting and informative read. A unique insight into the horrors of the relatively recent arrival of the British into Australia with a focus on what is now called Tasmania and Victoria. A unique insight into the wadawurrung people in what became the Port Phillip area told through the eyes of William Buckley, the escaped convict who was taken in by these people and cared for for more than three decades. Against that account, during the same period, we hear of the scheming and deceipt of the early settlers as they stole and murdered their way to great wealth through expansive lands and formed what eventually became the City of Melbourne today. It was interesting to understand how in the early 1800s the settlement in Van Diemans Land served as the base for these particularly aggressive settlers such as Batman and Fawkner. Accounts of the horrendous treatment of the original and existing inhabitants of lutruwita was a portent of what was to follow in just a few years for the peoples in what is now Victoria.
August 8, 2020
Good read about a man I knew little about and his 30 odd years living with our first nation's people in the early to mid 1800's. The subsequent story of the dispossession of their lands by greedy pastoralist's just make you seethe with anger and weep with with despair.
July 25, 2020
A wonderful book. Beautifully written and informative. Adam Courtney has managed to explore the true and complex story of the birth of Melbourne. He relates the story of our indigenous people and the early settlers with objectivity and compassion.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews