Goings-on in Northern Territory politics from 2012-2016 may read like satire, but it is all true. These are stories you couldn't make up. This book is an instruction manual on how NOT to run a government.In the Top End, politics is not a numbers game, it is a blood sport.In comparison to Rudd, Gillard, Abbott and Turnbull, the goings-on in the Northern Territory parliament are like watching a troop of clowns throwing knives into each other's backs.C...

In 1914, as the shadow of war falls across Europe, a party led by veteran explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton sets out to become the first to traverse the Antarctic continent. Their initial optimism is short-lived, however, as the ice field slowly thickens, encasing the ship Endurance in a death-grip, crushing their craft, and marooning 28 men on a polar ice floe. In an epic struggle of man versus the elements, Shackleton leads his team on a harrowing quest for survival over some of the most un...

An earthy, entertaining collection of yarns about twenty larger-than-life outback characters. Meet Ron Canlin, who one day began sculpting the sandstone walls of his opal mine. Ten years later, every drive and tunnel in Ron's claim is full of wonderful sculptures - the eighth wonder of the world. Or Peter Venables, with his flowing white beard, puffing his pipe like a character from the pioneering 1800s, whose teams of Clydesdales plough, sow and harvest the crops they eat. Or Janie Marsha...

For at least forty years, Calvin Trillin has committed blatant acts of funniness all over the place—in The New Yorker, in one-man off-Broadway shows, in his “deadline poetry” for The Nation, in comic novels like Tepper Isn’t Going Out, in books chronicling his adventures as a happy eater, and in the column USA Today called “simply the funniest regular column in journalism.”Now Trillin selects the best of his funny stuff and organizes it into topi...

'the best Kelly biography by a country mile' - The AustralianThe definitive biography of Ned Kelly - and a superb description of his times.A bestseller since it was first published, Ned Kelly: A Short Life is acknowledged as being the definitive biography.Ian Jones combines years of research into all the records of the era and exhaustive interviews with living descendants of those involved, to pres...

'[Mat McLachlan's] knowledge of the front is comprehensive' - Sydney Morning HeraldA complete guide to the Australian battlefields of the Western Front 1916-18.Walking with the ANZACs aims to become the new essential companion for Australians visiting the Western Front. Each of the 14 most important Australian battlefields is covered with descriptions of the battles and Australia’s involvement in it.

From the early invention of the boomerang as an effective hunting weapon to todays ground-breaking contributions to science and technology, Australians have always proven brilliantly adept at coming up with creative solutions to challenging problems. From manufacturing to agriculture, film to medicine, its likely that an Australian invention is making a valuable contribution to the way we live. AUSTRALIAS GREATEST INVENTIONS reveals how our industry and innovation have placed this country ...

It is one of Australia's most iconic images. On 17 April 1993, the Indigenous AFL footballer Nicky Winmar stood up against racial abuse and made history. Facing the Collingwood crowd that had taunted him all day the St Kilda player pulled up his shirt, pointed to his chest and declared: 'I'm black and I'm proud to be black'.Published the next day, the photos of Winmar's gesture sparked an intense debate that forced the AFL, the fans and the nation to confront their prejudices head-...

This book is the first comprehensive account of how Australia attained the world's highest living standards within a few decades of European settlement, and how the nation has sustained an enviable level of income to the present. Why Australia Prospered is a fascinating historical examination of how Australia cultivated and sustained economic growth and success. Beginning with the Aboriginal economy at the end of the eighteenth century, Ian McLean argues that Australia's remarkabl...

From one of our master storytellers, author of the bestselling Great Australian Stories, comes another collection of yarns, tall tales, bush legends and colourful characters. Taking us from the deep outback to the glistening sea, they go to the heart of what makes us distinctively Australian.Yarns, legends, myths, jokes and anecdotes are our national lifeblood. The home-grown and borrowed tales, told and re-told over generations, offer an insight into the ...

The third edition of the dMAC Digest contains information on the First Fleet which was the first step in the colonization of the continent, later named Australia. It arrived on 20 January 1788 and consisted of 1,044 persons, of which 696 were convicts, in nine ships. Two French ships commanded by Laperouse, arrived in Botany Bay, four days after the main English fleet had landed. Other articles detailing information on Hepatitis as well as studies on why Late-Life Exercisers are more healt...

The battles on Gallipoli in 1915 were crucial in making New Zealand the nation it is today. The huge sacrifice of life has affected the country for generations, and our annual formal remembrances on Anzac Day have become increasingly important. It is twenty years since the full story of Gallipoli was last told in book form. Now a new book will add significantly to our understanding of the events of 1915 on the Gallipoli peninsula.Terry Kinloch tells the story with the help of membe...