''The Timeless Land'' (1941) is a work of historical fiction by Eleanor Dark (1901–1985). The novel ''The Timeless Land'' is the first of ''The Timeless Land'' trilogy of novels about European settlement and exploration of Australia.

Story and characters

The narrative is told from European and Aboriginal points of view. The novel begins with two Aboriginal men watching the arrival of the

First Fleet The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...

on 26 January 1788. The novel describes the first years of the colony and the diplomacy of captain

Arthur Phillip Admiral Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first governor of the Colony of New South Wales. Phillip was educated at Greenwich Hospital School from June 1751 unti ...

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...

and the effects of outside diseases on the previously unexposed Aboriginal population. The novel ends in a dramatic climax when troops encounter an escaped convict. Dark conducted her historical research at the

Mitchell Library The Mitchell Library is a large public library and centre of the City Council public library system of Glasgow, Scotland. History The library, based in the Charing Cross district, was initially established in Ingram Street in 1877 following a ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Watkin Tench Lieutenant General Watkin Tench (6 October 1758 – 7 May 1833) was a British marine officer who is best known for publishing two books describing his experiences in the First Fleet, which established the first European settlement in Australia in ...

, author of ''The Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson'', is a key character in ''The Timeless Land''. The book has been reprinted in 2002 and novel was on the curriculum for high school students in Australia in the mid-twentieth century. The subsequent books in ''The Timeless Land'' trilogy are ''Storm of Time'' (1948) and ''No Barrier'' (1953).

Television production

A television series was produced and broadcast by the

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...

, premiering on 4 September 1980. It was written by

Peter Yeldham Peter Alan Yeldham (25 April 1927 – 20 September 2022) was an Australian screenwriter for motion pictures and television, playwright and novelist. Biography Peter Yeldham was born in Gladstone, near Smithtown, New South Wales, in 1927. L ...

, based on the Eleanor Dark novels, and starred

David Gulpilil David Dhalatnghu Gulpilil (1 July 1953 – 29 November 2021), known professionally as David Gulpilil and posthumously (at his family's request, to avoid naming the dead) as David Dalaithngu for three days, was an Indigenous Australian actor ...

Bennelong Woollarawarre Bennelong ( 1764 – 3 January 1813), also spelt Baneelon, was a senior man of the Eora, an Aboriginal Australian people of the Port Jackson area, at the time of the first British settlement in Australia in 1788. Bennelong serv ...

and English actress

Nicola Pagett Nicola Mary Pagett Scott (15 June 1945 – 3 March 2021), known professionally as Nicola Pagett, was a British actress, known for her role as Elizabeth Bellamy in the 1970s TV drama series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973), as well as being ...

(star of the British series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'') as Mrs. Mannion. Other actors included

Ray Barrett Raymond Charles Barrett (2 May 19278 September 2009) was an Australian actor. During the 1960s, he was a leading actor on British television, where he was best known for his appearances in ''The Troubleshooters'' (1965–1971). From the 1970s, ...

and John Frawley.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p241 The music was by

Bruce Smeaton Bruce Smeaton (born 5 March 1938) is an Australian composer who is well known for a variety of Australian film and television scores in all genres, including features, shorts, television, documentaries and advertisements. His scores include '' ...

. Production of the series had first been announced in 1976 but was postponed due to the large budget required. International rights to the series were sold to Paramount for $1 million. Shooting took place in Kellyville, an outer suburb of Sydney. The 8 episodes of ''The Timeless Land'' commenced with a movie-length premiere: # A ship with white wings # Unsuitable company # The fabric of liberty # Double standards # Smell of rebellion # A declaration of war # Prisoner at the bar # A new order In 2006 the Australian Broadcasting Commission released the television series on 3

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

s, the episodes totalling 424 minutes.

Cast

Governor Bligh Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command; after being set adrift i ...

*Heather Christie as Anne King *Peter Collingwood as Governor Phillip * Athol Compton as Billalong * Ralph Cotterill as Finn *

Peter Cousens Peter Cousens (born 2 November 1955) is an Australian actor and singer born in Tamworth, New South Wales. He is the Artistic Director of the Talent Development Project. He attended The Armidale School in Armidale from 1969 to 1973 and then Go ...

as Patrick Mannion *John Cousins as

Reverend Marsden Samuel Marsden (25 June 1765 – 12 May 1838) was an English-born priest of the Church of England in Australia and a prominent member of the Church Missionary Society, believed to have introduced Christianity to New Zealand. Marsden was a prom ...

* Michael Craig as Stephen Mannion *

Max Cullen Max Cullen (born 29 April 1940) is an Australian stage and screen actor. He has appeared in many Australian films and television series but is best known for his role in the film ''Spider and Rose'' and the television series ''The Flying Doctors ...

as Byrne *Patrick Dickson as Mark Harvey *Gary Duggan as Chaplain *John Faasen as George Crossley *John Frawley as Governor King *Adam Garnett as Johnny - boy *Vincent Gil as Cunningham *

as Benelong *John Hamblin as Robert Campbell *

Chris Haywood Chris Haywood (born ) is an English-born Australian actor, writer and producer, with close to 500 screen performances to his name. Haywood has also worked as a casting director, art director, sound recordist, camera operator, gaffer, grip, l ...

as Johnny *Brian Hinzlewood as Capt Johnston *Robert Hughes as Capt. Kemp *Vic Hunter as Abbott *Johnny Johnstone as Evans *Peter Kowitz as

Gregory Blaxland Gregory Blaxland (17 June 1778 – 1 January 1853) was an English pioneer farmer and explorer in Australia, noted especially for initiating and co-leading the first successful crossing of the Blue Mountains by European settlers. Early life ...

*Don Mamouney as Doolan *Clive Marshall as Lynch *Bill McCluskey as Winden *Brett Nevill as Convict *Kirrily Nolan as

Mary Putland Mary Bligh, Lady O'Connell (later Putland and later O'Connell) (1783–1864) was the Lady of Government House, New South Wales, Australia during the period her father William Bligh was the Governor of New South Wales. Early life Mary Bligh was ...

*Kate Parker as Mrs. Blake *

Geneviève Picot Geneviève Picot is an Australian stage, film and television actress. In 1983 Picot was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in ''Undercover'' and in 1991 was nominated for the same award for '' P ...

as Emily *

Angela Punch McGregor Angela Punch McGregor (born 21 January 1953, in Sydney) is an Australian stage and film actress. Film credits Her film credits include: ''The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith'' (1978), ''Newsfront'' (1978), '' The Island'' (1980), '' The Survivor'' ...

as Ellen *Michael K. Ross as Governor's Aide *

Robin Stewart Robin Stewart (9 October 1946 – 22 November 2015) was an English actor, game show host and reporter who was best known for playing Mike Abbott, the son of Sid James' character Sid Abbott in the 1970s sitcom '' Bless This House''. Early life ...

as John Macarthur *Charlie Strachan as Driver *Noel Trevarthen as Collins *

Anna Volska Anna Volska (born 1 December 1944 in Milanówek, Poland) is an Australian stage and television actress. She arrived in Australia when she was young and has acted from a young age. Television work Volska has appeared in many Australian televis ...

as Sarah *Nicola Pagett as Mrs. Mannion *Craig Walker as Gov. MacArthur's doorman

Notes and references

References

* ''The Timeless Land'', Eleanor Dark. Introduction by Barbara Brooks and Humphrey McQueen. Pymble, NSW. HarperCollins Publishers Australia. 2002.

External links

''The Timeless Land''
at the

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