Pieman was a cannibal
Pieman River - the Name
Pearce was the Pieman:
Source: William Nolan, "Corinna by the River', Walkabout (Melbourne, 1 August 1956) :
'I'he story of the gold boom at Corinna (in north-western Tasmania) had its beginnings at Pieman Heads. In fact the Heads has had an important role in the history of the whole region. It was through convict, escaped from the dreaded Macquarie Harbour penal station to the south, reaching the Heads in 1824 that the river got its name. In 1815, when the entrance was sighted by Captain James Kelly, he named it the Retreat River.
Tne escaped convict at one time or another in his career had been a pastry and pie vendor and he had been nicknamed "tThe Pieman''. After his capture the river became known as the Pieman's River. It has been stated that the convict was the notorious Alexander Pearce, who killed and ate his companions during breaks from captivity.'