Alexander Collie: Colonial Surgeon, Naturalist and Explorer

The first book-length biography of this remarkable Scottish pioneer who accompanied Lieutenant-Governor James Stirling to Western Australia’s fledgling Swan River Colony in 1829. With the assistance of his Aboriginal guide, Collie’s expeditions across the state’s southwest yielded many botanical, geographical and meteorological discoveries essential to the colony’s expansion and development over subsequent decades. Chessell’s meticulous research vividly recreates the harsh conditions endured by Collie and his fellow Swan River colonists.