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...

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...

'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...

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...

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 true story of Australia's SAS and the soldier who was there from the start.Clint Palmer has spent much of his adult life in the SAS and has fought in this elite military unit as it developed from its fledgling beginnings into the highly trained, specialised fighting force it is today. He is an insider with the long view and this is his unique story of life in the SAS.As a bush kid in the Northern Territory of Australia, growing up in a one dog mining to...

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...

The never-before-told story of BHP Billiton's global conquests, told by the key players.BHP is part of Australia's DNA; but it remains an enigma. The Big Fella: The rise and rise of BHP Billiton is the compelling story of how BHP and its partner Billiton rose from the humblest beginnings in the Australian Outback and on the Indonesian island of Belitung to starry heights on the great bourses of the world. Based on more than 60 exclusive interviews...

'A rare beast in this genre, this is an honest, insider's account of the dark arts of sniping and special forces' - Herald SunIn SAS Sniper, Rob Maylor takes us inside the closed world of the Australian Special Forces - it's tough to get in, but the fighting that follows is even tougher...Royal Marine...SAS marksman...Elite soldier...Rob Maylor has seen action in the world's most dangerous combat zones. From East T...

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...