Stories from the Sandstone: Quarantine Inscriptions from Australia’s Immigrant Past

Abstract

ported by ‘a large number of independent written records’ (p.139), that a second wreck was present in its vicinity. This included applying new remote sensing techniques on Gun Island, where many survivors had washed up, with results indicating that the archaeological record has preserved not only the history of those who survived the wrecking of the “Zeewijk”, but also the complex industrial landscape caused by intensive guano mining in the nineteenth century. Meanwhile, DNA analysis of elephant tusks from the wreck site determined that they were of Central-West, rather than East, African origin, suggesting they were part of a smuggled hoard on the “Zeewijk” rather than from a second wreck. This is one of many possible examples in the book that successfully brings together multiple methods and datasets to answer old, and generate new, questions. At a time when universities, humanities programs and external research funding are all under threat, this book – and the project behind it – is a shining example of what is possible when historical research is properly resourced. ARC funding allows Australian and international collaborators to come together around some of our most pressing research puzzles. It is both prestigious and highly competitive. I was both bemused and impressed by the boldness of the editors who, having stated that another ARC grant would be ‘opportune’, go so far as to give it a working title: ‘The Golden Age’ (p.283). Should their proposal be successful, we can look forward to another substantial contribution to the knowledge base on early maritime histories in Australia.