History > Australian History

Classic book on Antarctic exploration, available again in an Australian edition after many years out of print Douglas Mawson is Australia's greatest polar explorer. This book covers the single most harrowing journey Mawson ever experienced. Foreword by Sir Edmund Hillary who described the book as the greatest story of lone survival in polar exploration. New photographs and illustrations not available in previous editions. Lennard Bickel, born in 1924, was a leading Australian writer and commentator on scientific affairs, becoming a... read more

A compulsively readable anthology of the remarkable writings of the explorers of Australia from the seventeenth century to the present day. Dampier, Cook, Sturt, Mitchell and Wills as well as a host of other unforgettable travellers are here.

No Description

The demolition firm of Whelan the Wrecker was a Melbourne institution for a hundred years (1892-1992). Here Robyn Annear uses their demolition sites as portals to explore layers of the city laid bare by their pick axes and iron balls. Peering beneath the rubble, she brings to light stories about Melbourne's history.

Robyn Annear resurrects the village that was early Melbourne- from the arrival of white settlers in 1835 until the first gold rushes shook the town- and brings it to life in vivid colour. Bearbrass was one of the local names of Melbourne and this tenth anniversary edition includes revisions and updates to this award winning book.

No Description

The compelling and very human story of the first foreign assault on Australian soil since settlement - the attack on Darwin by the Japanese in February, 1942.

The Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) of 1911-14, led by the young Australian geologist Dr Douglas Mawson, who was later knighted for his efforts, was not only one of the last great voyages of the Heroic Era, it was by far the most successful of its time in scientific terms. The results of the AAE's investigations were still being published 30 years later. Mawson's team of 31 expeditioners, with an average age of just 26, established three bases. The main one was built at Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay, where in January and F... read more

No Description

Powerful and moving personal stories of loss and survival - this is the compelling story of bushfire in Australia since European settlement. Collins challenges many of the accepted environmental pracitses about bushfire control.

A new perspective on the intriguing story of the discovery of Torres Strait in 1606 and the search for the Great South Land. In October 1606, the great Spanish navigator Luis B ez de Torres took two vessels through the waters that divide the land masses of New Guinea and Australia. In a journey of great adventure, courage and hardship, he was the first European to sail through today's Torres Strait and very possibly the first European to sight the east coast of Australia. Terra Australis Incognita focuses new light on the Spani... read more

The definitive story of the Sydney Harbour Bridge - a structure that has become a national icon. This is the epic story of the most recognisable Australian symbol, the people who built it, political wrangling and incredible engineering feats.

Never before or since has there been an experiment quite as bold as this. Set against the backdrop of Georgian England with its peculiar mix of elegance, prosperity, progress and squalor, the story of the First Fleet is one of courage, short-sightedness, tragedy but above all of extraordinary resilience. It is also, of course, the story of the very first European Australians, reluctant pioneers who travelled into the unknown - the vast majority against their will - in order to form a colony by order of the King's government. Separa... read more

History at its surprising and gripping best.Australia is the only modern society to have begun as a dedicated penal settlement. It was an experiment that should have ended like others of its kind in a stew of murder, rebellion and starvation. In this compelling, vivid and moving recreation of the first four years of 'the Sydney experiment', Tom Keneally examines how a motley 'thief colony' exiled by England as incapable of civilised development, not only survived, but flourished into a sophisticated modern society.

This fascinating and intelligent volume tells the remarkable story of Australian Aboriginal history from its distant beginnings in the age of Dreamtime, through the first contact with Europeans and other outsiders, right up to the present day. "The Original Australians" offers stunning insights into the life and experiences of one of the world's oldest cultures. This volume also looks at some of the most commonly asked questions, such as where did the Aboriginal people come from? And how did they survive in such a harsh environment... read more

This title presents a unique view on one of the most pressing issues of our age - environmental sustainability. Thousands of years ago, the Aboriginal peoples of Australia had taught themselves how to build a sustainable society in an extremely fragile landscape. Our ever more industrialised societies are in danger of collapse because they are consuming far more than they can provide. "Treading Lightly" is a unique volume that looks at how traditional Aboriginal art, stories and culture - which has been passed on through generation... read more

No Description

No Description

In December 2002, "The Fabrication of Aboriginal History Vol.1 by Keith Windschuttle was published. It argued that violence between whites and Aboriginals in colonial Tasmania had been vastly exaggerated and sought to rewrite the most contentious part of Australian history, attracting much coverage and heated criticism. Until now Windschuttle's arguments, agenda and methods have not been comprehensively examined. "Whitewash collects Australias's leading writers on Aboriginal history to re-examine the points in the book. The result ... read more

Tells the action-packed story of the hunt for the Sydney - and the Kormoran - and reveals what really happened on that fateful day in November 1941.