The Wild Colonial Boys

These are Our Stories. From bushrangers and prime ministers to how Australian inventions have changed the world.

Australia's first bushranger arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788 with the First Fleet. During the 1800s there were hundreds of bushrangers roaming the Australian countryside, living off what they could rob from others. In 1901, the same year Australia became a nation, one of our last bushrangers was hanged for his crimes. They are as much a part of our history as the arrival of the First Fleet and Federation.

About the Author

Paula Hunt broke her father's Swan heart when she announced, at the age of four, she was a Blue. It was the start of a lifelong passion for the game of Australian Rules. At the end of the last millennium Paula finished a lengthy stint as a manager in corporate Australia when she decided there just wasn't enough football in her career. Now, as Jezza Bella, she writes a weekly column about the Blues in The Melbourne Times. She works on Health and Safety at the Mecca of football, the MCG, and waits expectantly for next season.