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Making their own way
THE DUNBABINS ON MARIA ISLAND
1869-1876
TOM DUNBABIN
Tom Dunbabin's book, Making their own way: the Dunbabins on Maria Island 1869 - 1876, was launched at Fullers (Hobart, Tasmania) on the 15th October, 2010.
Maria Island is now a National Park, but was for over 150 years farmed, and the Dunbabins were among the earliest. This full colour 140 page book, lavishly illustrated with over 80 images, maps and drawings, recounts the endeavours and challenges of the young Dunbabins as they farm the island and raise their families.
In 1869 brothers Tom and John Dunbabin from Bream Creek took up the challenge of farming Maria Island, a former penal settlement off the east coast of Tasmania. Married to sisters Sarah and Mary Murdoch from Cambridge, they spent seven years raising their young families and building their future on this lonely island outpost.
Drawing on a treasure trove of letters written to and from island Tom provides a fascinating insight into their lives detailing the hopes and aspirations of two young men intent on making their own way in the early years of colonial Tasmania. He records the loves and losses of the family as they experience the triumphs and tragedies of life on a remote island.
Tom also reveals his own love and fascination for the island in this faithful account of the lives of his ancestors. Historical images, many never before published, and snippets from letters that have survived almost 150 years, colour this authentic account of one of Tasmania’s earliest farming families.
Tom Dunbabin was awarded the 2010 Lillian Watson Family History Award for his book. Click here to read the press release about the award. Dr Alison Alexander, UTAS historian, author and Patron of the Tasmanian Family History Society presented the award. Read her review of the book here.