The Secret River

In Kate Grenville’s 2005 novel The Secret River, William Thornhill is a nineteenth-century Englishman who, facing a death sentence for theft, is sent to Australia instead. The story examines the colonization of the land of the Aborigines by the Europeans. In 2006, Grenville published a work of nonfiction as a follow-up to The Secret River. In Searching for the Secret River, she tells of doing the research for the first book and of how that book was initially conceived as a biographical work about a familial ancestor Solomon Wiseman.

William Thornhill was born into poverty, leading to a life of crime in the slums of London. In 1806, he is convicted of stealing wood and sentenced to death. Instead of being executed, however, he and his family are sent to New South Wales in Australia. His first night in a convict settlement in Sydney includes his first encounter with an Aboriginal. When the man approaches Thornhill, seemingly out of nowhere, Thornhill tells him to, “Be off!” The native simply repeats his words back to him symbolically setting in motion the central conflict of the novel. Two very different groups are occupying the same land. The European convicts are not permitted to leave, the Aboriginals are spiritually part of the land and do not desire to leave.

A flashback shows the early life of Thornhill in London. He was apprenticed to a waterman named Mr. Middleton and spent seven years helping transport the upper class across the Thames River. He comes to resent the superior attitudes of the well-to-do and works hard to raise his lot in life. As he nears the end of his apprenticeship, Thornhill falls in love with Middleton’s daughter Sal; they marry on the day he is free. He continues to work the river using a boat that was a wedding gift from his former master. He is happy to have left the poverty of his past behind him but that feeling of security does not last long. An extended cold spell freezes the river and puts him out of work. Savings quickly dwindle and Middleton and his wife both die from an illness. Poverty stricken, William and Sal lose the family home and all of the boats to the authorities. William finds employment with another master, but does not earn enough on which to live and turns to stealing. When William is sentenced to death for his attempt to steal wood, Sal is able to have the sentence changed to deportation and they are sent to Australia. With them are their son Willie and a second child born during their passage that they name Dick.



They manage to adapt to life in the penal colony where William once again works as a waterman. He manages to steal small quantities of rum from the many barrels passing through the harbor and Sal opens a bar at their hut. After twelve months in the colony, William is able to leave. Rather than continue working under the new clerk, Mr. King, whose approach to his job makes William feel that his rum skimming would be found out, he gets a job working for Thomas Blackwood, whom he had known back in London. Blackwood has a boat and handles trade between Sydney and settlements along the Hawkesbury River.

While working along the river, William sees a plot of land that he vows he will one day claim and use to create a better life for his family. He refers to the land as Thornhill’s Point. William also meets Smasher Sullivan who is a settler who hates and oppresses any Aborigines he encounters. Blackwood hates Smasher and his racism as Blackwood respects the native people and always strove for a peaceful coexistence with them. When Blackwood retires, William borrows money from Mr. King and buys his boat. With his son Willie, he continues to run the trade route and his financial situation starts to improve. He shares with Sal his plan to settle in Thornhill’s Point but she is unenthusiastic, yet she agrees to give the arrangement five years with the hope of earning enough money to eventually leave the wilderness of Thornhill’s Point for a higher standard of living.

The family runs into difficulties with the Aborigines at Thornhill’s Point. They do not recognize William’s claim to the land and tensions mount until coming to a head when the natives strip William’s corn field. A skirmish ensues with several Aborigines being hurt. Sal worries about the safety of her sons and demands that the family leave Thornhill’s Point. William does not want to abandon the dream for which he has worked so hard. While still discussing whether to leave or stay, William and Sal see smoke at Saggity’s settlement down the river. William goes to help Saggity while Sal begins to pack. Finding Saggity wounded by Aborigines, William takes him for help but Saggity dies. This event triggers the settlers to fight to rid the area of the Aborigines and much violence follows. William is torn as he understands the position of the native people, but joins in the attack against them as the only way Sal will remain at Thornhill’s Point is if they are gone.



After a period of bloody slaughter, the Aborigines leave the area and are no longer a threat to the settlers along the Hawkesbury. William becomes a rich land owner and a member of the upper class. William’s happiness with his new status is tempered by feelings of guilt over his actions and their aftermath.