Bass Strait has over fifty cold, dark islands that are regularly pounded by atrocious weather and hardly visited. These islands are rich in atypical Australian history: sealers, lighthouse keepers, feuds, Aboriginal 'resettlements', deadly encounters with nature and people who have vanished. Michael Veitch has always been strangely drawn to these islands and was intrigued by how little we know about them. Although some of them are extremely difficult to get to, he decided to attempt to visit them all, relying on the goodwill and skill of an array of fisherman, pilots and locals. Here, he recounts his efforts, the people he meets along the way and the extraordinary flora, fauna and landscapes he finds.