The NGV touted its landmark 2018 exhibition Colony as “drawing from public and private collections across the country, Colony: Australia 1770–1861 brings together the most important examples of art and design produced during this period.”1 Although the show has over 600 exhibits, John Hawkins claims the show did not live up to the marketing hype. He laments missed opportunities for showcasing major artefacts – many of which have been published in Australiana – and disputes some of the artefact descriptions and interpretation.