Jackie French 
Barney and the Secret of the Whales (The Secret History Series, #2) 

The second book in a series that explores little-known history about Australia’s fascinating past. Barney Bean is keen to make his fortune and he hears a secret; a sailor’s secret about the treasure of the colony.But how can chasing whales make you rich? Is adventure at sea worth leaving everything he loves?Written by award-winning author Jackie French and superbly illustrated by Mark Wilson, this second book in The Secret Histories series explores how the early colony survived with the wealth from whaling, a little-known secret from Australia’s past.