Season 1 • Episode 1
LatestThe tiny penal colony of New South Wales, desperately short of supplies, struggles for existence. Ellen Prentice, like most convict women, offers her favours in return for extra rations.
This classic saga spans the early days of British settlement in Australia from 1788-1811, depicting the lives of a group of people, convicts and settlers, against the background of the events of the period - Governor Phillip's attempts to understand the Aborigines and his conflicts with the military, the tragic story of Bennelong, Governors King and Bligh, the Rum Rebellion, Macquarie and the crossing of the Blue Mountains.
Acting
Ray Barrett's volcanic Governor Bligh steals every scene.
Production
Massive period recreation on actual Australian locations.
Writing
Balances soap opera and serious historiography surprisingly well.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was the most expensive Australian TV production of its time, costing $3 million in 1980 dollars — roughly $12 million today.
Based on Eleanor Dark's beloved novel trilogy; the Mannion family are entirely fictional characters inserted into real historical events, a technique that drove historians nuts but viewers loved.
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