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David Collins
1756–1810
An early British colonial administrator, he played a central role in the founding years of both New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. He is also remembered for his detailed accounts of the first British settlement in Australia.
2 Audiobooks
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Volume 1
by David Collins, Philip Gidley King
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Volume 2
by George Bass, David Collins, Philip Gidley King
About the author
Born in London on March 3, 1756, David Collins served as an officer of marines before joining the First Fleet to Australia as deputy judge-advocate. He became one of the key officials in the new colony of New South Wales and later wrote an important history of its earliest years.
In 1803 he was sent to establish a settlement at Port Phillip, but the site was abandoned soon afterward. Collins then led the move to Van Diemen's Land, where he founded the settlement at Sullivan's Cove, the beginning of present-day Hobart, and served as lieutenant-governor there.
His books about the colony remain valuable sources for the history of early European settlement in Australia. He died in office at Hobart on March 24, 1810.