Australia Oceania category: 2401 books

A longtime resident of Kings Cross, celebrated Australian author, playwright, and screenwriter Louis Lowra, in an ode to the neighborhood, cajoles readers into reimagining the most infamous and misunderstood place in Australia, a magnet for bohemianism, cosmopolitanism, and organized crime. In a wildly...

Written by Australia's 'first native born novelist' John Lang, this is a fascinating tale of the early years of Australian colonisation. It has been reprinted many times over the years, sometimes appearing as 'Clever Criminals' or 'Remarkable Convicts'.

Across Great Divides - true stories of life at Sydney Cove  'All communication with family and friends now cut off, we are leaving the world behind us, to enter a state unknown...'   so wrote David Collins aboard one of the eleven ships entering the vast, unchartered waters...

One early spring day in May 1954 the headmaster called the author, who was about to leave school, into his study for occupational guidance. All Neil knew was that the dreary nine to five existence in office or factory was not for him. ‘I want to be a steward in the Merchant Navy sir’. The head...

Traveling in the outback of Australia, one encounters adventures not experienced any where else on the planet.

James Murray recounts nine days spent in the remote and beautiful landscapes of the Northern Territory, yet this is much more than a book about bushwalking. A delicate hymn to the wilderness of Northern Australia, it is also a journey of personal exploration and self-discovery, and a passionate...

In this spirited history of the remarkable first four years of the convict settlement of Australia, Thomas Keneally offers us a human view of a fascinating piece of history. Combining the authority of a renowned historian with a brilliant narrative flair, Keneally gives us an inside view of this unprecedented...

First published in 1867. The Preface begins: "THE Settlement of Northern Australia has of late years been of such rapid growth as to furnish matter for a collection of narratives, which in the aggregate would make a large and interesting volume. Prominent amongst these stands that of the Settlement...

This captivating work charts the history of Tasmania from the arrival of European maritime expeditions in the late eighteenth century, through to the modern day. By presenting the perspectives of both Indigenous Tasmanians and British settlers, author Henry Reynolds provides an original and engaging...

‘Children of the Anzacs’ evokes poignant memories of times past for all who lived during the turbulent era of WW2 - Sydney was a microcosm of the Australian nation and of the Western World. Children of WW1 servicemen from the UK, USA, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand lived unsophisticated...

A hit on the head with a pencil case began Paul Wilson's lifelong battle against the system and the pencil-pushers who tormented him... but nothing could break his indomitable spirit. Paul was a fifth generation, native-born white Australian, and a stolen child. Bureaucrats stole him twice....

A monumental family history of Australia's Wilomin Noongar people, this is a powerful story of community and belonging. Revealing the deep and enduring connections between family, country, culture, and history that lie at the heart of indigenous identity, this book—a mix of storytelling and biography—offers insight into a fascinating community.

"The year is 1629. Lucretia, the young and very beautiful wife of Undermerchant Boudewijn van der Mijlen, sets sail aboard the Dutch East India Company's newest vessel, the Batavia, to join her husband in Java. Her traveling companions are the scholarly Commander Pelsaert, Captain Jacobsz, who is consumed...

A one teacher school, a dusty paddock for a sports/rodeo ground, an artesian borehead, a collection of close knit families whose kids love thrashing through the scrub on BMX bikes. And that is West Siding, a small settlement in the dusty outback of Australia. Join Rodney, Scott, Kevin, Christine,...