Watkin Tench

I do not hesitate to declare that the natives of New South Wales possess a considerable portion of that acumen, or sharpness of intellect, which bespeaks genius. In 1788, Watkin Tench stepped ashore at Sydney Cove with the First Fleet. This curious young captain of the marines was a natural storyteller. His account of the infant colony is the first...

In this volume, Tim Flannery brings together two classic Australian tales of travel and exploration. Watkin Tench, a young marine captain with the First Fleet, landed in Botany Bay in 1788. With his natural curiosity and genius for storytelling, he documented his first indelible impressions of this extraordinary land and the Aboriginal people who became his friends. John Nicol, an...