​In 1832 the HMS Dauntless received orders to attempt to locate survivors of the Antigone, a passenger ship that was wrecked near New Zealand. The Dauntless was bringing those survivors back to the colony of New South Wales when it hit rocks off the island and sank. 

George Hawthorne, the captain of the HMS Dauntless, was a tyrant and a ruthless man, and was overthrown in a mutiny led by Josiah Nesmith. Hawthorne was hanged in the place the lighthouse now stands. 

You can see a statue of Josiah Nesmith down in the harbour. It’s very nice. 

​ If anyone says that Hawthorne wasn’t bad, then that’s nonsense. History is history and everyone knows it’s right. 

​In 1832 the British established an outpost on Dauntless Island. Most of the island's sandstone buildings date from that time. 

In 1925, the British handed over the administration of Dauntless Island to Australia. It has been an Australian territory ever since. 

In the Second World War, the jetty on Dauntless Island was built by the US Marines. There was also a radar station on the island at that time. You can still see it, but you probably shouldn't go inside unless you are fine with spiders.