Along the road out of Kupang towards Tenau and the harbour there is an old grave yard with huge gnarled frangipani trees. This is Kuburan Nun Hila.  Lying overlooking the sea is a grave belonging to a man who was involved in the infamous mutiny on the Bounty.

The HMS Bounty had left England in December 1787. Thirty three year old Lieutenant William Bligh was taking it to Tahiti to collect a cargo of breadfruit plants. These were to be taken to the West Indies and grown as a source of food for slaves there.

On the way to the West Indies on April 28, just before sunrise, the mutineers seized the ship. The reason for the mutiny is not clear, but there was no bloodshed. Nineteen men, including Bligh, were loaded onto a 6.9 metre longboat. They were set adrift with water, enough food for five days, clothes, sails, a compass, sextant and two books to help with navigation.

William Bligh was not a man to give up easily. Food and water were rationed. When the wind stopped oars were used. We can only imagine what it was like for those men. Bligh decided that reaching Kupang was their only hope. It was Bligh’s determined leadership and skill as a navigator that saved them.

Their journey took them past Fiji, and Australia. On the morning of June 15, 1788,  eighteen bedraggled men came ashore at Kupang. They had been travelling forty-two days and had come approximately 5790 kilometres in the longboat.

When they came ashore they had difficulty walking. They were assigned a house by the Dutch governor where they stayed until they returned to England. Nelson the Botanist, and two other sailors died of fever in Timor, and it is his grave that remains.

Later Bligh had his day in court when the Royal Navy caught some of the mutineers in Tahiti. Three were hanged from a ship’s yardarm. Christian and several others had escaped Tahiti well before the navy arrived. They sailed to Pitcairn Island, some 2240 kilometres southeast of Tahiti. Their descendants still live on Pitcairn Island today.

Questions / activities

1. What qualities did Bligh show whilst on the voyage to Kupang? 2. Pretend you are one of the crew members now on the long boat with Bligh. Write a journal of your trip week by week. (This means 6 entries for the 6 weeks.) 3. Find Pitcairn Island in an atlas and give the coordinates for it. 4. In a group, write and perform a 3 scene skit. Firstly of the mutiny, then the boat trip and finally the Kupang landing.

Extra Activities 

1. Watch the movie Mutiny on the Bounty. How is Bligh portrayed? There are at least 2 versions.

2. Imagine you were on the Bounty and sailed to Pitcairn Island. This island is uninhabited. What would you do for the first few days on the island? Make a list in order of priority.

3. List URLs for Pitcairn Island and Captain Bligh. Which sites stand out?

4. Using an atlas give coordinates for Pitcairn, Tahiti, West Indies, Kupang and Fiji.

5. Using information from 4, trace Bligh’s and Christian’s journey in detail. Present it as a poster.

What happened to The Mutineers?

It was 15 years later when the world found out about what had happened to the ship ‘Bounty’ and the remaining mutineers. The 9 of them had sailed from Tahiti with numerous Tahitian men and women. They tried to settle on Tubuai, but had too many fights. They sailed until they found an uninhabited island, now called Pitcairn Island. Here they stripped and burnt the ship.

After a while the Tahitian men revolted  killing 5 of the crew. The others died leaving one remaining man from the crew and many Tahitian adults and children. The Pitcairn Islanders are a quiet  and peaceful people today.

Discussion and Research Questions

7. What qualities did Bligh have that helped them on their journey? Did these stand him in good stead to be governor of NSW? (The answer is no. He was used to danger, but not good at an administrative post.)

8. Research uses for breadfruit.

9. Buy a breadfruit at the shops. Try it and cook it.

10. Find, and write out a recipe using breadfruit. Make up your own recipe.

11. Research European exploration amongst the Pacific Islands. What role did Bligh and Cook have in opening this area?