Alan Frost

Alan J. Frost FRHistS, FAHA (born 29 March 1943) is an Australian academic based at La Trobe University. A major theme of his research has involved the European exploration of the Pacific Ocean over the second half of the eighteenth century. He is best known for books in which he challenges common historical stereotypes and misconceptions concerning the colonisation of Australia. These include Botany Bay Mirages: Illusions of Australia's Convict Beginnings, Botany Bay: The Real Story, and The First Fleet: The Real Story. Frost's arguments radically challenge those expressed by prominent historians Manning Clark and Robert Hughes.

Academic career

Alan Frost completed an MA at the University of Queensland in 1966. Following this, he went to the University of Rochester in New York, where he completed an MA (1968) and a PhD (1969). He took up his appointment in the English Department at La Trobe University in 1970, moving full-time into the History Department in 1975. He is currently an emeritus professor of history at La Trobe University.