The Timeless Land

The narrative is told from European and Aboriginal points of view. The novel begins with two Aboriginal men watching the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Harbour on 26 January 1788. The novel describes the first years of the colony and the diplomacy of captain Arthur 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 the Mitchell Library in Sydney. Watkin Tench, author of The Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson, is a key character in The 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 in The Timeless Land trilogy are Storm of Time (1948) and No Barrier (1953).

It sold more than 50,000 copies in Australia.^[1]

A television series was produced and broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, premiering on 4 September 1980. It was written by Peter Yeldham, based on the Eleanor Dark novels, and starred Charles Yunupingu as Bennelong and English actress Nicola Pagett (star of the British series Upstairs, Downstairs) as Mrs. Mannion. Other actors included Ray Barrett and John Frawley.^[2] The music was by Bruce 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 in Kellyville, an outer suburb of Sydney.^[5]

The 8 episodes of The Timeless Land commenced with a movie-length premiere:^[6]

1. A Ship with White Wings (1788)
2. Unsuitable Company (1790)
3. The Fabric of Liberty (1799)
4. Double Standards (1800)
5. Smell of Rebellion (1804)
6. A Declaration of War (1806)
7. A Prisoner at the Bar (1807)
8. A New Order (1809)

In 2006, the Australian Broadcasting Commission released the television series on 3 DVDs, the episodes totalling 424 minutes.^[7]