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.

SOURCES

1859 'Domestic Sayings and Doings.', The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News (WA : 1848 - 1864), 28 January, p. 2. , viewed 19 Mar 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931302

1859 'THE INDEPENDENT JOURNAL,', The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News (WA : 1848 - 1864), 4 February, p. 2. , viewed 25 Mar 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931313

1859 'Local and Domestic Intelligence.', The Inquirer and Commercial News (Perth, WA : 1855 - 1901), 23 February, p. 2. , viewed 02 Apr 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66008214

1859 'Recapture of the Escaped Convicts.', The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News (WA : 1848 - 1864), 4 March, p. 2. , viewed 08 Apr 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931371

1859 'Quarter Sessions.', The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News (WA : 1848 - 1864), 8 July, p. 2. , viewed 26 Mar 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931657

1859 'Thursday, July 7.', The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News (WA : 1848 - 1864), 8 July, p. 3. , viewed 02 Apr 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2931659

Convicts in Western Australia 1850 – 1887, Dictionary of Western Australians, Volumes IX, viewed 13 March 2025 https://www.friendsofbattyelibrary.org.au/convictsinwesternaustralia

LINKS

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S4E6 The Fremantle Five - Escape, Survival & Murder