author
John Hunter
1737–1821
Best known as the second Governor of New South Wales, this Scottish-born naval officer wrote vivid accounts of early Australia and life at sea. His journals bring together exploration, colonial history, and the practical eye of a working sailor.
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About the author
Born at Leith in 1737, John Hunter built his career in the Royal Navy and served in North America and the West Indies before joining the First Fleet to Australia. He arrived at Port Jackson in 1788 as captain of HMS Sirius, and his careful observations of the new colony, its coastline, and its natural history became an important record of its earliest years.
Hunter is especially associated with New South Wales, where he later served as the colony's second governor from 1795 to 1800. Alongside his naval and administrative work, he wrote about the voyage to New South Wales and the challenges of settlement, giving modern readers a direct window into exploration and colonial government at the end of the eighteenth century.
He died in 1821. Today he is remembered not only as a naval officer and colonial governor, but also as a firsthand chronicler of the First Fleet era whose writings remain valuable to readers interested in maritime history and the beginnings of European settlement in Australia.