Dispatched Downunder: Tracing the Resting Places of the First Fleet
Australian History Local History Reference Colonial History Genealogy Cemetery Studies Convict Studies Heritage Tourism
Dispatched Downunder: Tracing the Resting Places of the First Fleet is the indispensable field guide for anyone who wants to walk in the literal footsteps of Australia’s founders. Author and Fellowship of First Fleeters researcher Ron Withington has spent decades criss-crossing NSW to photograph and map every known burial site of the 1,500-odd souls who arrived in 1788. The result is a hard-cover reference that combines concise biography, genealogical data, cemetery transcriptions and GPS-accurate location notes for more than 350 graves—from unmarked convict plots in Windsor’s St. Matthew’s churchyard to the ornate tombs of officers in Sydney’s Old Burial Ground. Each entry lists cause of death (where recorded), ship of arrival, occupation and family connections, making it the fastest way to link an ancestor to a physical place of rest.
What makes this 2013 first edition collectible is its unique blend of antiquarian detail and modern usability. Withington includes rare 19th-century sketches, early headstone rubbings and colour photographs that show the condition of each site today, so researchers can judge whether a visit is worthwhile. QR codes beside many entries take you straight to the Fellowship’s online database for updated inscriptions or newly discovered graves. The book’s generous page size and durable laminated boards are built for glove-box or backpack, and the acid-free paper ensures your working copy will outlast cheaper perfect-bound guides that fall apart after a few field trips.
Family historians, heritage tourists and teachers rate Dispatched Downunder as the most reliable single volume for locating First Fleet dead without wading through microfilm or multiple council archives. Because only a small print-run was ever produced for Fellowship members, clean hardcover copies are now scarce in the secondary market. This copy shows only minor shelf scuffing; internally it is crisp, unmarked and perfectly suited for research or gift-giving. Secure it today and you hold the key to every First Fleet graveyard in New South Wales—plus the stories that didn’t make it into the official records.
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