Fly Ted Down Under Journeys through the land of Oz

Destination: Queenscliff

AUSTRALIA | Wednesday, 16 March 2011 | Views [1566]

A big container ship on its way into Port Phillip Bay. The local pilot has already been taken out to meet them, and now his little orange boat is zipping back into Queenscliff.

William Buckley's Cave, in the cliffs under the lighthouse. He was a convict who escaped the prison near Sorrento in 1803, just two months after arriving from England. He made his way around the Bay (Melbourne didn't exist until the 1830's) and evaded capture for the next 30 years, living in this cave and others like it along the coast, and befriending the local Wathaurung people. In 1835 he decided to re-emerge from hiding and walked into Melbourne, told his story, and was soon pardoned by the Governor. Buckley then worked as an Aboriginal interpreter and spent his last 19 years in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), married, and seemed to live contentedly to the age of 75.

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Fly Ted Down Under Journeys through the land of Oz

Destination: Queenscliff

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