It is based on the legend of Fisher's ghost which had previously inspired the 1924 film from Raymond Longford.
[3] The operetta was composed by John Gordon and was originally performed at Sydney Teachers' College on 29 September 1960.
[5] Douglas Stewart wrote a play based on the same story which premiered shortly after the operetta.
It was the first television opera with an Australian historical background.
[5][7] The Sydney Morning Herald thought the production had "musical merit" but had "serious" dramatic problems and needed to be revised.