 First US edition (publ.Macmillan) | |
| Author | Eleanor Dark |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | The Timeless Land |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
Publication date | 1941 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 499 pp |
| Preceded by | The Little Company |
| Followed by | Storm of Time |
The Timeless Land (1941) is a work of historical fiction byEleanor Dark (1901–1985). The novelThe Timeless Land is the first ofThe Timeless Land trilogy of novels about European settlement and exploration of Australia.
The narrative is told from European andAboriginal points of view. The novel begins with two Aboriginal men watching the arrival of theFirst Fleet atSydney Harbour on 26 January 1788. The novel describes the first years of the colony and the diplomacy of captainArthur Phillip,famine and the effects of outside diseases on the previously unexposed Aboriginal population. The novel ends in a dramatic climax when troops encounter an escaped convict. Dark conducted her historical research at theMitchell Library inSydney.Watkin Tench, author ofThe Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson, is a key character inThe Timeless Land. The book was reprinted in 2002 and the novel was on the curriculum for high school students in Australia in the mid-twentieth century.
The subsequent books inThe Timeless Land trilogy areStorm of Time (1948) andNo Barrier (1953).
It sold more than 50,000 copies in Australia.[1]
| The Timeless Land | |
|---|---|
| Genre | mini-series |
| Based on | The Timeless Land trilogy byEleanor Dark |
| Written by | Peter Yeldham |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Ray Alchin |
| Running time | 8 × 1 hour |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC Television |
| Release | 4 September (1980-09-04) – 23 October 1980 (1980-10-23) |
A television series was produced and broadcast by theAustralian Broadcasting Commission, premiering on 4 September 1980. It was written byPeter Yeldham, based on the Eleanor Dark novels, and starred Charles Yunupingu asBennelong and English actressNicola Pagett (star of the British seriesUpstairs, Downstairs) as Mrs. Mannion. Other actors includedRay Barrett andJohn Frawley.[2] The music was byBruce Smeaton.
Production of the series had first been announced in 1976 but was postponed due to the large budget required.[3] International rights to the series were sold to Paramount for $1 million.[4] Shooting took place inKellyville, an outer suburb of Sydney.[5]
The 8 episodes ofThe Timeless Land commenced with a movie-length premiere:[6]
In 2006, the Australian Broadcasting Commission released the television series on 3DVDs, the episodes totalling 424 minutes.[7]
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