In 1858, 14-year-old Narcisse Pelletier sailed from Marseilles in the French trader Saint-Paul. With a cargo of Bordeaux wine, they stopped in Bombay, then Hong Kong, and from there they set sail with more than 300 Chinese prospectors bound for the goldfields of Ballarat and Bendigo. Around the eastern tip of New Guinea, however, the ship became engulfed in fog, struck reefs and ran aground.Scrambling aboard a longboat, the survivors undertook a perilous voyage, crossing a...

'A fascinating read' DAILY TELEGRAPHAren't remote South Pacific islands supposed to be paradise? Perhaps, from a distance, Norfolk Island looks a peaceful place lush with tall pines. But look closer and that idyllic facade is shattered.For all of the 240 years we have known it, Norfolk's story has been one of darkness, pain, rage and horror. Long-buried bones and axes hint at the violence before Captain Cook arrived and claimed the place for England. And th...

Explosive SAS action in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.The command came: 'Stop those vehicles!'It was like a red rag to a bull. Instantly streams of 7.62 mm tracer and 50 mm calibre machine gun rounds arced across the night sky and smashed into the bus and truck.Elite SAS Patrol Commander Stuart 'Nev' Bonner takes us inside the extraordinary and dangerous world of secret combat operations in this explosive, behind-the-scenes look at life inside the...

'You almost feel you are taking that trek with the party as Robert Macklin cites the obstacles - torrential river crossings, dense bush, the Snowy Mountains and more. Macklin covers Hume's public and private life, emphasising his affinity with the country and rapport with the Indigenous people, as well as providing a portrait of the evolving colony.' SYDNEY MORNING HERALDThe stirring untold story of a true Australian hero who opened up the nation.While Engl...

In 1911, English-born Charles Weston climbs Mount Ainslie to the crest of a landscape that has become the site for the Australian capital. Down on the flats, in the harsh sunlight of an April noon, occasional clumps of sheep feed into the prevailing westerly on the scant leavings of an insatiable swarm of rabbits.On the denuded, rabbit-infested Limestone plains, Charles Weston embarked on an ambitious re-greening project that would transform the region and the fledgling na...

A compelling account of Australia's intelligence organisations and special forces - from the early days of the commandos during World War II through to the SAS of today and the cyber wars of the future. From the co-author of SAS Sniper.Warrior Elite is a unique and compelling account of Australia's special forces and intelligence operations - ranging from the early special forces of World War II to the establishment and development of the SAS and ...

The fascinating story of the Chinese presence in and influence on this country - our intertwined history from colonial times to today.Chinese 'presence' in Australia extends from well before the time of Captain Cook - trading with northern Australia long before Europeans came here - right through to the present day, with Chinese activities ranging from being the main customer for our iron ore, to their very extensive intelligence operations here.Robert Mack...

In 1858, 14-year-old Narcisse Pelletier sailed from Marseilles in the French trader Saint-Paul. With a cargo of Bordeaux wine, they stopped in Bombay, then Hong Kong, and from there they set sail with more than 300 Chinese prospectors bound for the goldfields of Ballarat and Bendigo. Around the eastern tip of New Guinea, however, the ship became engulfed in fog, struck reefs and ran aground.Scrambling aboard a longboat, the survivors undertook a perilous voyage, crossing a...

The Victoria Cross is the highest award for valour that can be won by an Australian; just 97 Australians have been awarded the VC in conflicts from the Boer War to the Afghanistan War. And only fourteen Australians have been awarded the George Cross, the ultimate medal for heroism away from active combat, since its inception in 1940.But what is it that makes these remarkable soldiers risk everything in defence of their country and their mates? Noted biographer Robert Macklin tells ...

When Kevin Rudd became Leader of the Opposition in December 2006, dramatically ousting Kim Beazley, few Australians knew who he was. Eleven months later - and even more dramatically - he ousted John Howard to become Prime Minister of Australia, in the biggest electoral swing since 1975. Hawke, Keating, Howard - none of them attracted as many voters as quickly as Rudd.But who is Kevin Rudd? We know the soundbites - a sometimes rough childhood in Queensland, a diplomatic care...

He was the champion of the have-nots. He was a gentleman to the core. And he was Australia's most notorious bushranger.One hundred and fifty years ago, Frank Gardiner rose from nowhere to become the most famous outlaw in the country. His gang included Ben Hall, Johnny Gilbert and a team of desperadoes who brought large tracts of inland New South Wales to the brink of anarchy. Yet he boasted that he never hurt a woman or ever committed a mean or petty act. When finally captured, Gar...

It is a story of sheer courage and skill - incredible bravery combined with the precision of a surgeon - as these men defused deadly mines, often dropped in residential areas. The detonators were frequently booby trapped by the Nazis, and these Australians and their British colleagues came to recognise the twisted minds and methods of the individual bomb makers as they worked. Both sides played a deadly game of chess as they tried to bluff and outwit the other…In the ultimate demon...