A co-production between the ABC and television companies in both Scotland and Germany, the series followed the adventures of the survivors of the Mary Jane, wrecked in her passage across the Pacific with a mixed group of passengers, including convicts, militia, and settlers. The survivors, finding themselves on what Moran, in his Guide to Australian TV Series, calls 'a nondescript Pacific island', accustom themselves to their new surroundings, including interacting with the island's native occupants and with the survivor of an earlier shipwreck.
As a co-production, the series used British, German, and Australian actors, and a mixed British and Australian crew. According to Moran, 'The series was not the first ABC drama series shot on film but it was to be a sign of things to come at the newly acquired Atransa Studios at Frenchs Forest. There the trend was towards coloured film productions with fairly high production values, often historical in setting, in familiar genres such as action adventure and in conjunction with overseas investors'.
Further Reading:
Julie Kusko, 'Colonist and Convicts Wrecked on a Pacific Island', Australian Women's Weekly, 30 January 1974, p.19. [Includes colour photographs.]
