A powerful exploration of the making of a uniquely Australian image--the evocative and enduring image of the child lost in the bush. Along with drought, fire and flood, the stories of children lost in the bush became central to the Australian colonial experience. This cultural legacy remains to this day, and is one of the few experiences contemporary Australians share with their colonial past. Providing intriguing insights into the domestic lives of Australia's settlers and a changing attitude towards children and childhood, this illuminating examination of the relationship between Europeans and Australian Aborigines highlights the power of cross-cultural attitudes towards Indigenous peoples in Britain and its colonies.