Arthur Phillip is arguably the most important person in Australia's history. Scott Bevan presents a revealing account of the man who helped lay the foundations for modern Australia. The commander of the First Fleet and the founding Governor of what would grow into Australia, Phillip is according to prominent historian Jonathan King, this nation's equivalent to George Washington. And yet for such an influential person, so little is widely known about Arthur Phillip. Who was this man, what did he do before the First Fleet and why did he accept the enormous challenge of sailing half way around the globe to found a new colony largely populated by Britain's cast-offs and criminals?