Convict Colony cover art

Convict Colony

The Remarkable Story of the Fledgling Settlement That Survived Against the Odds

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Convict Colony

By: David Hill
Narrated by: Conrad Coleby
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

Best-selling historian David Hill tells the story of the first three decades of Britain's earliest colony in Australia in a fresh and compelling way.

The British plan to settle Australia was a high-risk venture. We now take it for granted that the first colony was the basis of one of the most successful nations in the world today. But in truth, the New World of the 18th century was dotted with failed colonies, and New South Wales nearly joined them.

The motley crew of unruly marines and bedraggled convicts who arrived at Botany Bay in 1788 in leaky boats nearly starved to death. They could easily have been murdered by hostile locals, been overwhelmed by an attack from French or Spanish expeditions or been brought undone by the Castle Hill uprising of 1804. Yet through fortunate decisions, a few remarkably good leaders and, most of all, good luck, Sydney survived and thrived.

©2019 David Hill (P)2019 W. F. Howes
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania Europe Oceania World

Listeners also enjoyed...

Apocalypse 1692: Empire, Slavery, and the Great Port Royal Earthquake cover art
The Great Race cover art
A Man Most Driven cover art
The First Fleet cover art
Great South Land cover art
Macquarie cover art
The Kelly Hunters cover art
The Dutch Moment cover art
Captain James Cook cover art
The Black Joke cover art
Captain Cook’s Epic Voyage cover art
Mayflower Lives cover art
A Land So Strange cover art
Condemned cover art
When America First Met China cover art
Conquering The Pacific cover art

Critic reviews

"David Hill captures Australia’s past in a very readable way." (The Weekly Times)

No reviews yet