Shipwreck of the New Guinea Gold Explorers

It is 1872 in Sydney and gold fever is seriously running high. High enough to inspire swells and diggers alike to set sail for exotic New Guinea.

They call it New Guinea Isla del Oro -- Island of Gold. But even to reach these mythical gold fields they first have to navigate the treacherous seas of the Great Barrier Reef in the monsoon season, the time of the great cyclones.

This is the story of their ill-fated voyage, their shipwreck off Hinchinbrook Island and their sometimes lucky and sometimes tragic encounters with bands of Aboriginal warriors.

Peter Maiden paints fascinating portraits of the hotheads and the heroes, the brave and the bumbling, the daring and the doubtful men who risked everything in their lust for gold.

From bustling Sydney to the tropical outpost of Cardwell, this is a real-life story of adventure and the ultimate test of courage.