Great Convict Escapes: Warwick Hirst

In colonial times, Australia was considered the perfect prison - the impenetrable bush and wide oceans were a better barrier than any prison walls. But hundreds of convicts did escape. Most were recaptured; some perished in the bush; others returned half-starved and sometimes half-mad from the wilderness to face further punishment. Some survived by living with the Aborigines or becoming bushrangers. Some made their way to distant ports in the Pacific, Asia and South America. A handful even made it all the way back home. Featured in this collection of true tales: John Graham, who lived with the Aborigines, became an expert tracker and was responsible for the rescue of Eliza Fraser; Mary Bryant, who with her two young children, completed a voyage of almost 5,000 kilometres in an open boat from Sydney to Timor and the terrifying tale of Alexander Pearce, who survived a gruelling walk across Tasmania by eating his companions one-by-one.