Gaolbird: The True Story of William Swallow, Convict and Pirate

It’s 23 October 1821 and convict William Swallow stands on the deck of the Malabar for muster. He is wearing a canary yellow convict uniform and his legs are chained. He’s just completed the 121-day sea voyage from London to Hobart Town, but his wild and audacious adventures have barely begun.

He’ll soon ditch the convict uniform and the chains, take part in a mutiny, become a pirate captain and fool the world in what just might be the most outrageous and unbelievable true story in Australia’s convict history.

Reading age: 9+

About the Author

Simon Barnard was born and grew up in Launceston, Tasmania. He is a writer, illustrator and collector of colonial artifacts. He won the CBCA Eve Pownall Award for Information Books in 2015 for his first book, A-Z of Convicts in Van Diemen’s Land. His second book, Convict Tattoos, was published in August 2016 and Gaolbird was published in 2017. Simon lives in Melbourne.