1787

The time before the First Fleet is usually trated as a preface to the main story, a brief interlude that starts 50,000 years before the present and ends as sails are seen on an eastern horizon. But in 1787 the peoples of Australia were not simply living in a timeless 'Dreamtime', following the seasons, and waiting for colonisation by Britain in 1788. In 1787, Nick Brodie uses the sailors, writers, scientists, and other visitors to our shores to reassess neglected chapters of Australia's early history. He turns the narratives of 'exploration' and 'discovery' around to take a closer look at the indigenous peoples, the broader regional scene, and what these encounters collectively tell. This is the sweeping story of Greater Australasia and its peoples, a long-overdue challenge to the myth that Australia's story started in 1788.