The untold history of Nubrygyn after the crossing of the Great Divide
Convicts Capitalists
and
Corruption
Australian History Non-Fiction
by Kate Gadsby
Nubrygyn Homestead circa 1845
My Story
Australian history is Kate's passion.
After living on the Bogan River in the western regions, Kate Gadsby now resides at ‘Nubrygyn’ with her husband Allan. Born in the Nubrygyn district, she is, along with her family, a farmer, grazier and thoroughbred horse breeder.
An avid historian, she has spent much of the past 20 years researching the history of Nubrygyn district and the early settlers of NSW. The book spans the arrival of convict ships in Sydney Cove to exploration and settlement at Bathurst, Nubrygyn, Wellington and the land in the ‘outer limits’ beyond the Nineteen Counties. The narrative is of a lawless land and incredible hardship endured by convicts, settlers and Aborigines of the time. Preserving the history and uncovering the names of the local Indigenous tribes and their people has given Kate the greatest pleasure.
The book is richly illustrated with many rare and exceptional documents and works of art from colonial masters. Discovering the early paintings and photographs for this book has been a labour of love for Kate, as her passion for the stories and her understanding of the personalities featured in the book began to grow. Readers will find that many of the descendants of these European immigrants and convicts reside at Nubrygyn to this day.
Read more about the book below or listen to Kate's interview with Macca on Australia All Over.
Kate Gadsby and Margaret Schwebel, Collins Book store Orange. Displaying Convicts, Capitalists and Corruption, the untold history of Nubrygyn.
About the book
Australian History Book, Non-Fiction. Twenty years of research and fully referenced.
Kate Gadsby's Convicts, Capitalists and Corruption is a gripping narrative portraying personal stories of the leaders of Sydney society, convicts building the Mountain Road and the captivating history of the pioneers who established the early settlements west of the Great Divide. It depicts the lives of the brave men and women who ventured into the vast expanses of unknown land after the proclamation of Bathurst. Their stories encompass the many aspects of colonisation within the Nineteen Counties and the ‘outer limits’ of the Lachlan, Macquarie and Bogan rivers. There are descriptions of the Aboriginal people, the local tribes and the land as it became inhabited by convicts and European settlers. The story offers insights into trials, tribulations, misdeeds, scandals and powerplays involving some of the colony’s most powerful individuals. It provides a fascinating window into forces that shaped the region and immortalised the characters in street and town names.
Written through the eyes of the people at the time, Kate Gadsby focuses the book around the first settlers at Nubrygyn, Bathurst and the Wellington Valley convict settlement. Several years later Wellington became the home of the Anglican Church missionaries as they endeavoured to Christianise the local Aborigines. The book describes the battles of the settlers and the squatters with unruly convict labourers and the lawlessness in Wellington County. Other than the Bathurst constabulary, the first twenty-five years of European settlement west of the Macquarie River existed without a police force. Deprived of constables, the Wellington region became overrun with bushrangers, murderers and convict runaways. Learn about murderous rebel Patrick Murphy alias Blue Cap as he rampaged the Wellington County in 1839-40 and twenty five years later as Ben Hall made a raid on the Nubrygyn Inn.
Beautifully illustrated with rare maps, photographs and artworks from colonial masters, this is a fascinating read. It is a ground-breaking historical narrative of people and occupation west of Bathurst and the Colony’s settlements within the Wellington County and the vast lands beyond.
Available now at Virginia Cullane Books, Canowindra, Collins Booksellers, Orange, The Book Connection, Dubbo, Wellington Museum, Wellington Information Centre, Molong Yarn Market, or online (click here).
Overseas orders please email Kate: info@gadsby.net.au
