Hot on the trail of many of Australia's bushrangers , filmmaker Gary Hunn, of Magnetic Island , is shown closely examining the death mask of notorious Dan "Mad Dog " Morgan (1830-1865 ) in the Anatomy Department of Melbourne University. While on the run, the bushranger had many aliases-John Smith, Sydney Native, Dan the Breaker, Down the River Jack , Jack Morgan and the one under which he died, Dan Morgan . He first served 12 years for highway robbery in Castlemaine, Victoria. Released from a prison ship in 1860, he breached terms of his release and went bush , shot dead a trooper in 1864 .which resulted in a government bounty of 1000 pounds being placed on his head. He was fatally wounded after holding up a station in Victoria and buried in Wangaratta Cemetery. Hunn formed an unusual film company for the bushranger project, being shot with the help of son, Kelly.
Due to the purchase of an antiquarian volume at Magnetic Island's recent bookfest-ADVENTURES IN AUSTRALIA FIFTY YEARS AGO , being the account of James Demarr wandering through NSW, Victoria and Queensland , 1839-1844 - this blogger found mention of a swag of bushrangers about whom intrepid Hunn , well researched on the subject , was not aware , including a gang of 16 desperadoes headed by Possum Jack .
