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'While English-born soldiers, sailors and surveyors have claimed pride of place among the explorers of the young New South Wales colony, the real pathfinder was a genuine native-born Australian. Hamilton Hume, a man with a profound understanding of the Aboriginal people and an almost mystical relationship with the Australian bush, led settlers from the cramped surrounds of Sydney Town to the vast fertile country that would provide the wealth to found and sustain a new nation.
'Robert Macklin, author of the critically acclaimed Dark Paradise, tells the heroic tale of this young Australian man who outdid his English 'betters' by crossing the Blue Mountains, finding a land route from Sydney to Port Phillip and opening up western New South Wales. His contribution to the development of the colony was immense but downplayed in deference to explorers of British origin. Hamilton Hume uncovers this brave man's achievements and paints an intriguing and at times shocking portrait of colonial life, by the author of the bestselling SAS Sniper.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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'Hamilton Hume : Our Greatest Explorer' by Robert Macklin
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 390 2017; 'robert Macklin is a great admirer of Hamilton Hume (1797–1873). He paints a vivid, scholarly picture of one of Australia’s lesser-known ‘currency’ explorers: a man who spent his youth hiking in the bush, with his brother and an Aboriginal guide, as often as his mother would allow. Hume was a successful farmer, able bushman and an expert on Aboriginal customs and languages. It was these skills that led to Hume’s being invited on expeditions to find arable land. These journeys were successful: land and water were found, and Hume’s teams returned alive and without the bloodshed which occurred in later expeditions, where the leaders lacked Hume’s linguistic skills and cultural understanding.' (Introduction) -
Hamilton Hume : Our Greatest Explorer by Robert Macklin
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , October 2016; (p. 53)
— Review of Hamilton Hume : Our Greatest Explorer 2016 single work biography
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Hamilton Hume : Our Greatest Explorer by Robert Macklin
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , October 2016; (p. 53)
— Review of Hamilton Hume : Our Greatest Explorer 2016 single work biography -
'Hamilton Hume : Our Greatest Explorer' by Robert Macklin
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 390 2017; 'robert Macklin is a great admirer of Hamilton Hume (1797–1873). He paints a vivid, scholarly picture of one of Australia’s lesser-known ‘currency’ explorers: a man who spent his youth hiking in the bush, with his brother and an Aboriginal guide, as often as his mother would allow. Hume was a successful farmer, able bushman and an expert on Aboriginal customs and languages. It was these skills that led to Hume’s being invited on expeditions to find arable land. These journeys were successful: land and water were found, and Hume’s teams returned alive and without the bloodshed which occurred in later expeditions, where the leaders lacked Hume’s linguistic skills and cultural understanding.' (Introduction)