Fort Dundas

The British in North Australia 1824-29

Nonfiction, History, Australia & Oceania
Cover of the book Fort Dundas by Derek Pugh, Derek Pugh
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Derek Pugh ISBN: 9780992355876
Publisher: Derek Pugh Publication: January 1, 2017
Imprint: Derek Pugh Language: English
Author: Derek Pugh
ISBN: 9780992355876
Publisher: Derek Pugh
Publication: January 1, 2017
Imprint: Derek Pugh
Language: English

Fort Dundas was the first outpost of Europeans in Australia's north. It was a British fortification manned by soldiers, marines and convicts, and built by them on remote Melville Island in 1824. It lasted until February, 1829, when it was abandoned and left to the termites.

The fort's purpose was twofold. Firstly, it was a physical demonstration of Britain's claim to the New Holland continent as far as longitude 129E, which excluded the Dutch and the French from starting similar colonies, and it was the first of a series of fortified locations around the coast. Secondly, it was promoted as the start of a British trading post that would become a second Singapore and compete with Batavia.

The settlement was named in a ceremony on 21 October 1824, but it was not a success. In its short existence we have tales of great privation, survival, greed, piracy, slavery, murder, kidnapping, scurvy, and battles with the Indigenous inhabitants of the islands, the Tiwi. It was also the site of the first European wedding and the birth of the first European children in northern Australia.

None of the three military commandants who managed the outpost wanted to be there and all were gratefully relieved after their posting. They left behind thirty-four dead - victims of disease, poor diet and Tiwi spears. Others died when the crews of the fort's supply ships were slaughtered and beheaded by Malay pirates on islands to the north. Two cabin boys from one of them, the Stedcombe, were enslaved by the pirates.

What happened at Fort Dundas and why it was abandoned has been largely untold. Nevertheless, it is one of the most engaging stories of nineteenth century Australia.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Fort Dundas was the first outpost of Europeans in Australia's north. It was a British fortification manned by soldiers, marines and convicts, and built by them on remote Melville Island in 1824. It lasted until February, 1829, when it was abandoned and left to the termites.

The fort's purpose was twofold. Firstly, it was a physical demonstration of Britain's claim to the New Holland continent as far as longitude 129E, which excluded the Dutch and the French from starting similar colonies, and it was the first of a series of fortified locations around the coast. Secondly, it was promoted as the start of a British trading post that would become a second Singapore and compete with Batavia.

The settlement was named in a ceremony on 21 October 1824, but it was not a success. In its short existence we have tales of great privation, survival, greed, piracy, slavery, murder, kidnapping, scurvy, and battles with the Indigenous inhabitants of the islands, the Tiwi. It was also the site of the first European wedding and the birth of the first European children in northern Australia.

None of the three military commandants who managed the outpost wanted to be there and all were gratefully relieved after their posting. They left behind thirty-four dead - victims of disease, poor diet and Tiwi spears. Others died when the crews of the fort's supply ships were slaughtered and beheaded by Malay pirates on islands to the north. Two cabin boys from one of them, the Stedcombe, were enslaved by the pirates.

What happened at Fort Dundas and why it was abandoned has been largely untold. Nevertheless, it is one of the most engaging stories of nineteenth century Australia.

More books from Australia & Oceania

Cover of the book Native Tribes of the Northern Territory of Australia by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book Waltzing the Magpies by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book Aboriginals and the Mining Industry by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book Palau by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book Wrong Way Round by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book The Best Australian Trucking Stories by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book Across the Bight & Nullarbor by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book Work and Travel Neuseeland by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book Lonely Planet Tasmania by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book Alone Near Alice by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book NEL CUORE DI OZ by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book Pagan Portals - Australian Druidry by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book Nouméa (New Caledonia) Travel Guide - Tiki Travel by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book Arthur Allan Thomas: The Inside Story by Derek Pugh
Cover of the book Natural Wanders in Australia by Derek Pugh
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy