Robert Blayney thought his life was over.

But a twist of fate has landed him in Port Phillip clutching his ticket of leave.

Now he is left to his own devices to make his way into the interior in the early days of European settlement. Soon the rest of his family join him on his farm. With the exception of his brother who is incarcerated in Van Diemen's Land.

As he becomes wealthy and his reputation as a gentleman grows, his desire to hide the secret of his convict past is thwarted by family conflict.

When the family feud comes to a climax, will Robert lose all hope?

Meanwhile, the growing community is struggling with a conflict of its own. Will the ongoing dispute over the use of the Hanging Rock Water and Recreation reserve ever be resolved?

Conflict at Hanging Rock is the debut novel of Pauline Wilson. It is a work of fiction based on true events in colonial Australia with a fair quota of conflict and drama.