Published by Faber and Faber in 1995, Promised Lands won the Writers' Guild Award (Best Fiction). It spans the 18th and 20th centuries in Australia and England. The major action takes place following the First Fleet's arrival in Australia in 1788 and is dominated by the story of William Dawes, naval officer. Dawes' story is told by Stephen, a teacher in a 20thC secondary school, who is researching the First Fleet and lives with his wife Olla and their disabled son Daniel.