Joseph Mason was an English agricultural laborer who was convicted and transported for taking part in mass protests against the introduction of threshing machines. He vividly describes his encounters with Aboriginal people, and the flora and fauna of the bush. He tells of the living and working conditions of assigned convicts, and early horticultural and farming practices. This is a fresh and unique first-person account of the convict experience—a new and invaluable addition to the primary sources of Australian colonial history.

David Kent's profile page

Norma Townsend's profile page

David Kent and Norma Townsend are senior lecturers in the department of history, University of New England. Kent is the author of many articles and a forthcoming monograph on Rural Radicalism and the Swing Riots in Hampshire. Townsend is the author of Valley of the Crooked River: European Settlement on the Nambucca and of a number of journal articles.

“MUP continues to produce books that are both expertly written and beautifully made. This delightful little hardback is no exception.” —The Australian