Australian Bushrangers 1788-1880

The first bushrangers in New South Wales and Tasmania were escaped or time-expired convicts who took to the wilderness, leading to the formation of the first Mounted Police in 1825. The gold strikes of the 1860s attracted a new group of men who preferred to get rich by the gun, and the roads and railways offered many tempting targets. The last outbreak came in Victoria in 1880, with the notorious Kelly Gang staging several hold-ups and deliberately ambushing the pursuing police. This is the fascinating story of Australias most infamous outlaws and the men tasked with tracking them down, fully illustrated with rare period photographs.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 48 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The first bushrangers or frontier outlaws in New South Wales and Tasmania were escaped or time-expired convicts who fled to the wilderness. Initially, the only Crown forces available were redcoats from small, scattered garrisons, but by 1825, the problem of outlawry led to the formation of the first Mounted Police from these soldiers. The gold strikes of the 1860s attracted a new group of men who preferred to get rich by the gun rather than the shovel. The roads and railways that linked the mines with the cities offered many tempting targets and were preyed upon by the bushrangers. This 1860s generation boasted many famous outlaws who passed into legend for their boldness. The last outbreak came in Victoria in 1880, when the notorious Kelly Gang staged several hold-ups and deliberately ambushed the pursuing police. Their last stand at Glenrowan has become a legendary episode in Australian history. Fully illustrated with some rare period photographs, this is the fascinating story of Australia's most infamous outlaws and the men tasked with tracking them down.

Weight: 168g
Dimension: 234 x 170 x 4 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781472831101