The First Fleet

Rob Mundle established his international identity as an author in 1999 with his gripping factual account of one of the world’s most dramatic sporting tragedies, the 54th Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. His book, Fatal Storm, became an international bestseller. It is published in six languages and has sold well over 200,000 copies – a remarkable achievement for this category in publishing. His three most recent books, ‘Bligh – Master Mariner’, ‘Flinders, The Man Who Mapped Australia’, and ‘Cook – from Sailor to Legend’, achieved No. 1 bestselling status across Australia within a few weeks of being released. ‘Bligh – Master Mariner’ has been released in the UK. Rob has now published his 14th book, a fresh and insightful look into the activities around the First Fleet sailing to Australia, and the men and women who became the cornerstone of the foundation of the nation. Rob Mundle was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2013 for his services to Sailing and Journalism.

Paul English is an actor and narrator based in Melbourne who has appeared in more than 40 productions with major Australian theatre companies. Some highlights include Shakespeare's Hamlet, Chekhov’s Ivanov and Stoppard's Arcadia. Paul's television credits include SeaChange, Curtin and Gallipoli. His narration of Li Cunxin's Mao's Last Dancer and Coming Rain by Stephen Daisley have both won AudioFile Earphones Awards.