<p>In January 1859, five convicts escaped from a Fremantle work party and vanished into the bush, launching one of the most dramatic manhunts in Western Australian history. Stealing boats and navigating treacherous coastal waters, they fled north in a desperate bid for freedom. But as the weeks wore on and survival became a struggle, tensions within the group turned deadly. What followed was a brutal journey marked by pursuit, hardship, and murder — and by the time authorities caught up, only four men remained to tell the tale.</p><p><br></p><p>SOURCES</p><p><br></p><p>1859 &#39;Domestic Sayings and Doings.&#39;, <em>The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News (WA : 1848 - 1864)</em>, 28 January, p. 2. , viewed 19 Mar 2025, <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931302" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931302</a></p><p><br></p><p>1859 &#39;THE INDEPENDENT JOURNAL,&#39;, <em>The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News (WA : 1848 - 1864)</em>, 4 February, p. 2. , viewed 25 Mar 2025, <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931313" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931313</a></p><p><br></p><p>1859 &#39;Local and Domestic Intelligence.&#39;, <em>The Inquirer and Commercial News (Perth, WA : 1855 - 1901)</em>, 23 February, p. 2. , viewed 02 Apr 2025, <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66008214" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66008214</a></p><p><br></p><p>1859 &#39;Recapture of the Escaped Convicts.&#39;, <em>The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News (WA : 1848 - 1864)</em>, 4 March, p. 2. , viewed 08 Apr 2025, <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931371" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931371</a></p><p><br></p><p>1859 &#39;Quarter Sessions.&#39;, <em>The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News (WA : 1848 - 1864)</em>, 8 July, p. 2. , viewed 26 Mar 2025, <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931657" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931657</a></p><p><br></p><p>1859 &#39;Thursday, July 7.&#39;, <em>The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News (WA : 1848 - 1864)</em>, 8 July, p. 3. , viewed 02 Apr 2025, <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931659" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931659</a></p><p><br></p><p>Convicts in Western Australia 1850 – 1887, Dictionary of Western Australians, Volumes IX, viewed 13 March 2025 <a href="https://www.friendsofbattyelibrary.org.au/convictsinwesternaustralia" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.friendsofbattyelibrary.org.au/convictsinwesternaustralia</a></p><p><br></p><p> LINKS</p><p><br></p><p>Get your copy of Convict Australia, Extraordinary true stories of shipwrecks, riots, daring escapes and more.</p><p>https://www.amazon.com.au/Convict-Australia-Extraordinary-stories-shipwrecks/dp/0648946819 </p><p><br></p><p>Get your copy of Convict Sydney, the real-life stories of 32 prisoners: https://www.amazon.com.au/Convict-Sydney-real-life-stories-prisoners/dp/0648946800</p><p><br></p><p>Support Convict Australia and receive goodies such as the Convict Australia Newsletter:</p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia?fbclid=IwAR20AHUPtxSEW0HONdIWOmrAgY8YjXAHM3S1OCJtbpqwM2cT46a7aZW2t0Q" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ConvictAustralia⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><br></p><p>Join the conversation on our Facebook &amp; Instagram pages:</p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/173850624015866⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/convict_australia/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><br></p><p>Find Convict Australia on TikTok:</p><p>https://www.tiktok.com/@convict.australia</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>