Tongues of Serpents, by Naomi Novik

Convicted of treason, Lawrence and his dragon Temeraire have been busted out of the air corps and transported to New South Wales. The dragon factor means they are not treated as ordinary convicts, but without official rank they are caught between the civil war in the colony between ousted governor Bligh and the new landed gentry under MacArthur. There are no native dragons in Australia but, as the British aeronauts discover when they venture into the vast interior, there are vicious and predatory Bunyips. There they also discover a major threat to British trade, with the smuggling of luxury goods from China via what will later become the port of Darwin. As usual Novik uses real historical events and people as the basis for her tale and gives them a fascinating twist. Her depiction of the interaction of Aboriginal, Asian and European cultures, for better and for worse, is particularly interesting.