INTRODUCTION

There was a general belief in colonial Australia that the bushrangers were simply average men trying to survive in a harsh and somewhat unfair world. The fact that they plied their ‘trade’ successfully in the Australian bush made it almost admirable. Much has been written about the highwayman tradition in Australia, including the studies of my old mate, Professor Graham Seal, who says, “The real and fictional elements of the bushranger tradition make for a lot of good yarns, involving fast riding, guns, wild and daring young men, shootouts with the police, pursuits through the bush and crimes often carried out with style and humour. These elements explain the ongoing appeal of the bushranger in literature, film, television, art and popular history.