James Goodwin

James Goodwin was a convict escapee and explorer in Van Diemens Land . In March 1828, he escaped from the notorious Sarah Island prison with fellow convict, Thomas Connolly and the two were the first white men to pass through the Lake St Clair region.

Goodwin was born in or near Northampton and was convicted of thieving at the Northampton Assizes onMarch 1821. He was sentenced to seven years penal servitude and, after several months on prison hulk Bellarophon in Woolwich, he sailed on the Lord Hungerford for Hobart. While a prisoner, he worked for Thomas Scott, assistant to Surveyor General, George Frankland and gained valuable knowledge about the Tasmanian interior.

Source: Wikipedia