Looking for an Australian historical novel (read ~15 years ago)
I’m trying to identify a historical novel set in early colonial Australia that I read around 15 years ago. I remember a lot of specific plot details, but not the title or author.
What I remember clearly:
The story follows a young woman living in a newly established colony with her father.
Her father works on boats, likely whaling and/or seal hunting.
There is a scene where the father and the boat crew sing a song while out at sea.
The father and daughter may be Scottish, and the daughter often exclaims something like “Oh my Mary, Queen of Scots!”
The father lost his wife in Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania).
Major plot points:
The father is arrested for murder and is taken through the bush to a city to stand trial.
The daughter follows him, trying to prove his innocence or get him freed.
At some point, she is running from the police and escapes into a heavily wooded area.
A man hides her behind a tree and then takes her back to his gang/outlaw group, which she eventually joins.
Important characters:
There is a mysterious woman known as “the Black Widow”, always dressed in black.
The Black Widow helps the main character multiple times:
Once by hiding her underneath her dress when police are searching for her.
Another time by lending her a disguise so she can attend the trial of a gang member without being recognised.
Other memorable scenes:
The main character pretends to faint on a road to distract one or two men, preventing them from returning to their farm while her gang steals cattle.
Other notes:
The tone is adventurous, dramatic, and historical.
It’s not a modern book; it felt like an older historical novel, possibly out of print.
It is not For the Term of His Natural Life or a well-known bushranger classic.
I’d be incredibly grateful if anyone recognises this book — I’ve been searching for it for years!
by JayBear304