Across Great Divides – True Stories of Life at Sydney Cove

Description

All communication with family and friends now cut off, we
are leaving the world behind us, to enter a state unknown –
so wrote David Collins aboard one of eleven ships entering the vast,
unchartered waters of the Southern Ocean. Hundreds of people – men,
women and children – were being taken against their will to a
mysterious land on the edge of the world.

The stories you are about to read are all true and will take you on a
journey into the hearts and minds of those who experienced life in
Australia’s first colony. They vividly capture the struggle of the early
years: the excitement of discovery, fear of the unknown and the
elation of hard-won success. As you become immersed in their stories,
you will feel their anticipation, distress, and the fears and wonders of
the Australian bush.

This is also the story of worlds colliding. No two societies were less
alike than the British about to land from the ships and the black people
looking out from the shoreline at the huge winged islands coming in
from the sea. Yet meetings between the cultures would be dynamic
and varied. The mystery of a new world had begun and the lives of all
involved would never be the same again.

Like any diverse group of people, there were rogues among them;
those willing to take advantage of an isolated, uncertain situation.
There were secret pacts, daring plots and illicit affairs, as well as
optimists and visionaries. Given the unprecedented setting, it made for
a tense and provocative set of circumstances.

As the stories unfold you will no doubt wonder,
‘What would I have done?