Henry Wildman

Who is Henry Wildman?

Henry Wildman was a convict transported to Western Australia in 1862, whose apparently false claims to have found gold in the Kimberley region of Western Australia prompted an exploring expedition to the area.

Henry Wildman was born in 1838. Nothing is known of his early life, except that he was a literate protestant labourer. According to convict records, he was found guilty of burglary and sentenced to 18 years' penal servitude on 18 March 1862, although some contemporary newspapers state that he was sentenced to 15 years in 1861. Wildman arrived in Western Australia on the Lord Dalhousie on 28 December 1863.

Two days after his arrival, the Inquirer published Wildman's claim to have found gold in the Kimberley region. Wildman claimed that in 1856 he had been first mate on a Dutch ship, the Maria Augusta, sailing from Rotterdam to Java, when it was forced to stop in Camden Harbour for rudder repairs. He then allegedly explored up a river, where he found gold nuggets to the value of £416, which he later sold at Liverpool.

Wildman offered to lead a party to the area, in return for a remission of his sentence.