Back Roads by Heather Ewart; Karen Michelmore (As told to)

$34.99 AUD

Category: Australian

A road trip around Australia, discovering towns and communities outside the mainstream - and the colourful inhabitants whose grit and humour will uplift and inspire you. Discover the resilient and inspiring people who live outside big Australian cities - and indeed off the beaten track altogether. Defi ned by their strength and humility, these are characters whose grit and good humour will uplift and inspire. Based on the successful series hosted by Heather Ewart, Back Roads dives deeper to learn more about these wonderful communities and deliver fresh and compelling stories. 'They're proud communities like my hometown, full of surprises, fight and spirit', says Heather. Take, for example, Joan Sinclair, 83, horse & cattlewoman and outback legend, who featured in the first episode of series 3. The video of this feisty woman went viral on Facebook and has clocked up 1.3 million views. The show featured a wealth of characters and places, and the book will take you further into their lives. From strong women like Joan Sinclair, Heather Jones of the company Heavy Haulage Girls, and Dianne Reeves, transgender former dairy farmer, shearer and truck driver, to historic places - such as Pine Creek, built on the sweat of Chinese workers, and Maralinga, the only place in the world where you can stand on the site of an atomic bomb test - Back Roads will transport you from your city doorstep and show you what lies beyond in this land of surprise and determination. ...Show more

The Dogs That Made Australia by Guy Hull

$34.99 AUD

Category: History

Breaker Morant by Peter FitzSimons

$49.99 AUD

Category: History

The epic story of the Boer War and Harry 'Breaker' Morant: drover, horseman, bush poet - murderer or hero? Most Australians have heard of the Boer War of 1899 to 1902 and of Harry 'Breaker' Morant, a figure who rivals Ned Kelly as an archetypal Australian folk hero. Born in England and emigrating to Qu eensland in 1883 in his early twenties, Morant was a charming but reckless man who established a reputation as a rider, polo player and writer. He submitted ballads to The Bulletin that were published under the name 'The Breaker' and counted Banjo Paterson as a friend. When appeals were made for horsemen to serve in the war in South Africa, Morant joined up, first with the South Australian Mounted Rifles and then with a South African irregular unit, the Bushveldt Carbineers. In September 1901 Morant and two other Australians, Lieutenants Peter Handcock and George Witton, were arrested for the murder of Boer prisoners. Morant and Handcock were court-martialled and executed in February 1902 as the Boer War was in its closing stages, but the debate over their convictions continues to this day. Does Breaker Morant deserve his iconic status? Who was Harry Morant? What events and passions led him to a conflict that was essentially an Imperial war, played out on a distant continent under a foreign flag? Was he a scapegoat for British war crimes or a criminal himself? With his trademark brilliant command of story, Peter FitzSimons unravels the many myths and fictions that surround the life of Harry Morant. The truths FitzSimons uncovers about 'The Breaker' and the part he played in the Boer War are astonishing - and, in the hands of this master storyteller, make compelling reading.           ...Show more

The Outpost: (FTI) by Jake Tapper

$24.99 AUD

Category: War

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE The heartbreaking and inspiring story of one of the deadliest battles of the Afghanistan war, acclaimed by critics as a classic. 'A mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice' Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild At 5:58 AM on October 3rd, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating, located in frighteningly vulnerable terrain in Afghanistan just 14 miles from the Pakistani border, was viciously attacked. Though the 53 soldiers stationed there prevailed against nearly 400 Taliban fighters, their casualties made it the deadliest fight of the war that year. Four months after the battle, a review revealed that there was no reason for the troops at Keating to have been there in the first place. In The Outpost, Jake Tapper gives us the powerful saga of COP Keating, from its establishment to eventual destruction, introducing us to an unforgettable cast of soldiers and their families. This modern classic of military history is an indictment of the management of the war in Afghanistan, and a thrilling tale of true courage in the face of impossible odds. ...Show more

Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

$22.99 AUD

Category: Australian

Dark Emu argues for a reconsideration of the 'hunter-gatherer' tag for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians and attempts to rebut the colonial myths that have worked to justify dispossession. Accomplished author Bruce Pascoe provides compelling evidence from the diaries of early explorers that sugg ests that systems of food production and land management have been blatantly understated in modern retellings of early Aboriginal history, and that a new look at Australia's past is required. ...Show more

Red Lead: The Legendary Australian Ship's Cat Who Survived the Sinking of HMAS Perth and the Thai-Burma Railway by Roland Perry

$29.99 AUD

Category: War

The legendary Australian ship's cat who survived the sinking of HMAS Perth and the Thai-Burma Railway. Just after midnight on the 1st March 1942, Australia's most celebrated cruiser, HMAS Perth, was sunk by Japanese naval forces in the Sunda Strait off the coast of Java. Of the 681 men aboard, 328 survived the sinking and made it to shore - and one cat. Her name was Red Lead, and she was the ship's cat, beloved by the crew and by HMAS Perth's legendary captain Hec Waller. But surviving shell fire, torpedoes and the fierce currents of the Sunda Strait was only the start of the terrible trials Red Lead and the surviving crew were to face over the next three and a half years. From Java to Changi and then on the Thai-Burma Railway, Red Lead was to act as a companion, mascot and occasional hunter of food for a small group of sailors who made it their mission to keep her alive in some of the most hellish prison camps on earth.Red Lead's extraordinary story is one of courage, loyalty and love amidst battle, imprisonment and death, brought vividly to life by bestselling author Roland Perry.         ...Show more

The Story of Australia's People: The Rise and Rise of a New Australia by Geoffrey Blainey

$34.99 AUD

Category: History

Australia is indeed made up of many peoples, and together their story is one of high drama, courage and resilience. When the first Europeans crossed the world to settle the vast southern continent that became known as Australia, it was almost unknown. Over time it revealed itself to be a land of reward, and sometimes despair. While the physical discovery of Australia and its resources was swift, the continent also had to be discovered emotionally. Later migrants brought more diversity - and complexity - to Australian life. Writers and painters, more than any other group, probed and shaped attitudes and emotions of Australians to and about their land. Aborigines, once silent, raised vital questions. In this book Professor Geoffrey Blainey brings to life the key events and happenings of the past 170 years that have shaped us into the nation and people we are today- the gold rushes of the 1950s, frustrations of the land explorers, Federation, the world wars, the Depression, postwar migration and prosperity, land rights and the onrush of the latest technology. He examines how people lived, worked, played and prayed over generations, and explores what differences divide us - and all we share in common. Blainey's The Rise and Fall of Ancient Australia traced the story of the Indigenous Australians from their coming ashore at least 50,000 years ago. It pieced together their ingenious way of life, and it's crumbling after the British arrived in 1788. That book ends in 1851, with the discovery of gold. The Rise and Rise of a New Australia carries the story - through momentous changes - to the present day. Together, the two books form The Story of Australia's People - the culmination of the lifework of Australia's most prolific and wide-ranging historian. 'Full of his trademark felicitous phrases and succinct snapshots ... the wide-angle viewpoint of a historian whose own life has encompassed a timespan of unimaginable change.' Weekend Australian Magazine 'In The Story of Australia's People- The Rise and Rise of a New Australia, Blainey 'just tells' the story. He understands narrative, how it must be disciplined as it unfolds, temptingly revealing this or that side-track and fleetingly appearing faces; how sometimes unsuspected or uninvited voices arise from narrative's potentially unruly array of possibilities; how, if you are sufficiently aware and skilful, references to hard-won, unpretentious or briefly relevant sources can be woven in to sentences that still maintain their integrity and relevance as story-carriers; how speculation can embroider and intrigue without distorting the essential, known story.' Australian Book Review 'A compendium of rich and fascinating detail, the result of Blainey's undiminished curiosity about and admiration for human endeavour.' The Age ...Show more

The Great Barrier Reef (Souvenir Book) S Parish by PARISH STEVE SLATER PAT

$12.99 AUD

Category: Australian | Series: Souvenir Books Ser. | Reading Level: Adult

Brimming with bright and colourful photographs that capture the essence of The Great Barrier Reef, this quality reproduction explores local towns and their surrounds, beaches, islands and some of the most beautiful underwater marine life in the world.

Silent Invasion: China's influence in Australia by Clive Hamilton; Alex Joske (Contribution by)

$34.99 AUD

Category: Australian

Respected academic Clive Hamilton realised something big was happening when, in 2016, it was revealed that wealthy Chinese businessmen linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had become the largest donors to both major Australian political parties. Hamilton began to investigate the Chinese governmen t's influence in Australia. What he found shocked him.   From politics to culture, real estate to agriculture, universities to unions, and even in primary schools, he uncovered compelling evidence of the CCP's infiltration of Australia. It is no exaggeration to say the CCP and Australian democracy are on a collision course, with the CCP determined to win, while Australia looks the other way.   Thoroughly researched and powerfully argued, SILENT INVASION is a sobering examination of the mounting threats to democratic freedoms Australians have for too long taken for granted. Yes, China is important to Australia's economic prosperity; but, Hamilton asks, how much is sovereignty as a nation worth?   'Anyone keen to understand how China draws other countries into its sphere of influence should start with Silent Invasion. This is an important book for the future of Australia. But tug on the threads of China's influence networks in Australia and its global network of influence operations starts to unravel.' -Professor John Fitzgerald, author of Big White Lie: Chinese Australians in White Australia ...Show more

Back on Track - How One Man and His Dogs Are Changing the Lives of Rural Kids by Bernie Shakeshaft; James Knight

$34.99 AUD

Category: Australian

As a kid, Bernie Shakeshaft's mischievous and reckless behaviour led him to became known as the wild one of his devout Catholic family. It isn't surprising that his path led him to the Northern Territory, a place where people often go to either lose themselves or find themselves. Bernie, a searcher for his purpose in life, found himself. He had many jobs, firstly as a ringer on a cattle station owned by the Packer family, and later as a dingo trapper for the Parks and Wildlife Service. Throughout it all, he drank, he swore, he fought, and took chances with his own well-being. But, crucially, he also developed deep connections with the Indigenous people, and it was these connections that helped lay the foundations for what was to come. He worked for youth welfare organisations, and all the while he built up his knowledge about helping wayward youths, particularly those from Indigenous communities. Years later, Bernie was living in Armidale. He'd been visiting too many kids in prison and going to too many funerals. The usual methods weren't working so that reckless, mischievous kid inside him decided he could do better. He started a youth program called BackTrack, with three aims: To keep them alive, out of jail and chasing their hopes and dreams. For most, this was their last chance. Combining life skills, education, job preparedness with rural work, Bernie threw in one other factor: dogs! And it works. With the help of these working dogs, the lost boys (and girls) find their way back on track. These days, Backtrack youth tour the country competing in dog-jumping trials. Bernie and the BackTrack team are now supporting other communities in Dubbo, Condobolin and Bourke and have forged a new beginning for over 1000 young people. This one man is making a huge difference. In Back on Track, bestselling author James Knight tells Bernie's story and the stories of those whose lives he has saved. It is a powerful reminder that we should never give up on our kids.   'This fella Bernie, he's a good fella, a bit of a genius really. What a great story.' - Russell Crowe ...Show more

Victoria Wide by Ken Duncan

$24.99 AUD

Category: Australian

In Victoria Wide award-winning Australian photographer Ken Duncan turns his camera on the state of his birth. Through panoramic images that record detail with breathtaking precision, he conducts a dazzling tour through the scenic wonders of Australia's smallest mainland state. Ken's sea, land and citysc apes provide an unforgettable encounter ... ...Show more

Kosciuszko by Nick Brodie

$29.99 AUD

Category: History

Australia's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, is a dangerous place. Evan Hayes was an ordinary Australian battler. Hardworking, likable. Laurie Seaman was a world-wise American. Adventurous, affluent. When this athletic pair of cross-country skiers disappeared into the wilds of Kosciuszko they left a mystery, and became a sensation. Following their trail, Kosciuszko reveals the story of a young Australia between wars told by one of Australia's leading historical voices.  When Evan and Laurie went missing in August 1928, Australia's Snowy Mountains were remote. Traversing the globe from New York's Long Island to Siberia to Sydney and beyond Charlotte Pass, with shipboard romance and industrial strife along the way, this is the story of two very different people growing to manhood in a world of change. Accompanied by a diverse cast including motor car enthusiasts and aviators, bushmen and horsemen, trackers and journalists, this is the true story of a meeting of peoples and nations. This is history in a land of legend. From the world-famous to the nearly-forgotten, Kosciuszko is more than a mountain, it is a collective heritage, part of Australia's sense of self. Evan and Laurie are guides to this vantage point, to a time and place that deserves to be better known. At Kosciuszko, Australians came together in peacetime. And they did so simply because two mates vanished.   ...Show more