'This is the story of the French explorer Nicolas Baudin’s voyage around New Holland in the opening years of the 1800s. The story is told by Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, one of the artists on the journey. It is a story of storm and sickness, damaged and leaky ships, deaths and drownings, poor food and lack of water and general discontent among those on board. However, it is also a story of exciting discoveries of the great beauty of landscape, fauna and flora, and meetings with the resident native peoples.
'Most people know of the meeting that took place between Matthew Finders and Nicolas Baudin at Encounter Bay. Other than that, Baudin’s voyage was largely ignored in Australian history until the 200th anniversary of the trip when it was celebrated with many prestigious publications. In this small novel, the author imagines an alternative view.' (Publication summary)
