The Logbooks of the Lady Nelson With the journal of her first commander Lieutenant James Grant

A vivid record of the young colony’s first daring sea voyages, this volume brings Lieutenant James Grant’s hand‑written logbooks to life. Listeners travel with the Lady Nelson as she becomes the first vessel to navigate the treacherous Bass Strait, sketches new anchorages, and charts the unclaimed coasts of Victoria and Queensland. The narrative captures the practical concerns of early British seamen—tides, provisions, and the exhilaration of seeing land where none had been mapped before.

The book also assembles rare charts and illustrations from the Admiralty Library, letting you picture the first sighting of Port Phillip and the rugged outlines of King Island. By interweaving Grant’s diary‑style entries with excerpts from other commanders, the work offers a layered glimpse of 1801‑1802 exploration without revealing later outcomes. It’s an intimate, almost tactile experience of a pivotal chapter in Australia’s maritime history.