Castaway cover art

Castaway

The extraordinary survival story of Narcisse Pelletier, a young French cabin boy shipwrecked on Cape York in 1858

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Castaway

By: Robert Macklin
Narrated by: Michael Carman
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About this listen

 In 1858, 14-year-old Narcisse Pelletier sailed from Marseilles in the French trader Saint-Paul. With a cargo of Bordeaux wine, they stopped in Bombay, then Hong Kong, and from there they set sail with more than 300 Chinese prospectors bound for the goldfields of Ballarat and Bendigo. Around the eastern tip of New Guinea, however, the ship became engulfed in fog, struck reefs and ran aground.

Scrambling aboard a longboat, the survivors undertook a perilous voyage, crossing almost 1000 kilometres of the Coral Sea before reaching the shores of the Daintree region in far north Queensland, where, abandoned by his shipmates and left for dead, Narcisse was rescued by the local Aboriginal people. For seventeen years he lived with them, growing to manhood and participating fully in their world - until in 1875 he was discovered by the crew of a pearling lugger and wrenched from his Aboriginal family. Taken back to his 'real' life in France, he became a lighthouse keeper, married and had another family, all the while dreaming of what he had left behind...

Drawing from firsthand interviews with Narcisse after his return to France and other contemporary accounts of exploration and survival, and documenting the spread of European settlement in Queensland and the brutal frontier wars that followed, Robert Macklin weaves an unforgettable tale of a young man caught between two cultures in a time of transformation and upheaval. 19th Century Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Armed Forces Australia, New Zealand & Oceania Military Modern Naval Forces Oceania Survival China War
All stars
Most relevant
This is more than just a survival story. It is an expansive history lesson of the times surrounding this remarkable tale of survival,
Very highly recommended.

A stunning story of survival under harsh conditions

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This story takes you beyond the headlines of modern, politically correct society and fills in the detail with facts, colour and an entertaining narrative. My thanks and appreciation to the author / narrator.

Brings the vivid history of early Qld and AU settlement into sharp focus

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Incredible telling of someone having 2 very different parts of their life. Amazing Story.

Gripping

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This book is thoroughly well researched, with an incredible insight into indigenous culture and history.
I would of given 5 stars, but it's very light on dialogue, and at times sounds like a long list of journal entries.
If you love honest Australian history then you wont mind!


incredible true story

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Thought provoking assuming accuracy of facts relating to early Queensland pioneering history and treatment of the aboriginals.

THOUGHT PROVOKING

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.