Across Great Divides

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 wilderness. 


This is also the story of worlds colliding. No two societies were less alike than the British about to land from their 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, forbidden affairs and the schemes of 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?’


‘This is a very readable, extremely interesting telling of important stories.’

Christopher Tobin, Aboriginal artist & Darug cultural consultant



‘I recommend this book to all who want to know more about the fascinating

and remarkable story of the human experience on the Australian continent.’

Peter Turbet, author of ‘The First Frontier’ 


Susan E Boyer is the author of more than twenty books.

‘People in Australia’s Past’ was her first on Australian history.

‘Across Great Divides’ is her first in the ‘Great Divide’ series.