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...

Meet fourteen remarkable Australian (and one Kiwi!) jacks and jills of all trades with a wealth of experiences from the good old days to modern times. Hailing from all walks of life, they share their memories with renowned yarn spinner Sandy Thorne in a collection of stories full of wisdom and wit.There's Danny, the champion jockey who refuses to ever truly hang up the saddle; 'Dusty', the WW II rear gunner who survived thirty raids over Germany; and Dot, the seemingly dainty 97-yea...

Best mates Tom and Gidgee toil and laugh together for decades in the shearing sheds and stockyards of the challenging, semi-arid Western Division of New South Wales. Constantly tested by extremes of nature, their huge capacity for both work and laughter helps them cope with everything that’s thrown at them. ‘My Mate Gidgee’ is an authentic, entertaining, sometimes shocking, often funny, yarn from outback Australia, told by the author of the popular Battler series. The humour features the c...

Since launching her first best seller 'I've Met Some Bloody Wags!' by biting the top off a stubbie of beer with her teeth on the Midday Show, Sandy Thorne has spent over 20 years travelling the world and promoting bush humour. The Battler books are based on the hard-as-nails men of the land that called the most remote corners of the Outback their home. Battler O'Brien, from way out back of Bourke, a larikin sheep cocky, gets a vacation when his missus wins a holiday on the Gold Coast. Not ...

Since launching her first best seller 'I've Met Some Bloody Wags!' by biting the top off a stubbie of beer with her teeth on the Midday Show, Sandy Thorne has spent over 20 years travelling the world and promoting bush humour. The Battler books are based on the hard-as-nails men of the land that called the most remote corners of the Outback their home. All the hilarious things that happen when the irrepressible larrikin bushie and his wild and woolly brood move onto their 50,000 acre 'bloc...

AdalynNever did I imagine that my four-year marriage would abruptly end after the revelation of my husband's devastating secret. The emotional toll left me with no option but to move away from New York City and start over somewhere new.Fate led me to Harbor Falls, a charming and serene town nestled in South Carolina. It was the perfect place to fulfill my dream of opening an art gallery and starting a new chapter of my life. Unexpectedly, I crossed paths wi...

Since launching her first best seller 'I've Met Some Bloody Wags!' by biting the top off a stubbie of beer with her teeth on the Midday Show, Sandy Thorne has spent over 20 years travelling the world and promoting bush humour. The Battler books are based on the hard-as-nails men of the land that called the most remote corners of the Outback their home. Battler O'Brien has been a battler all his life – riding the rodeo circuit and droving sheep with his missus on the far west stock route to...

HannahMy dating life was a constant cycle, a series of fleeting connections that I found comfort in. I wasn't seeking a bond with any man, but it happened, and my heart ended up in a million tiny pieces.I was desperate for a change, a fresh start. So, I bid farewell to my high-paced fashion design job in the bustling city of New York and stayed with my sister, Adalyn, in the serene and picturesque town of Harbor Falls, a place that always brought me a sense...

Fascinating stories of the indomitable men and women who established the first cattle and sheep properties that became the foundation of a prosperous nation.'A very readable history of an important group of Australian pioneers' - Graham Seal, author of the bestselling Great Australian StoriesFor the early settlers who came from Britain's crowded cities and tiny villages, it must have been extraordinarily liberating to pack their belongings onto a bullock dr...

Peter Moore left the city behind in 1952 to become part of a dying breed - a long-distance drover. In My Droving Days we follow his progress through the 1950s as he rubs shoulders with the larger-than-life characters - and their dogs and horses - who trekked along the outback stock routes of western Queensland and New South Wales.Meet the world's worst cattle dog and the station hand, Charlie, who blows an outside toilet (and its contents) sky high; thrill to the high dram...

Peopled by many of the legends of the Australian outback, this is the extraordinary true story of how one ordinary woman grew up to champion Australia's outback heritage.Jane Grieve was born and raised on a farm on the Darling Downs in Queensland. She grew up with the wind in her hair and the rich black Darling Downs soil between her barefoot toes, her vivid imagination captivated by the tales of her Colonial forebears and the romantic notion of Australia's outback...

'From the helicopter I could see the property's waterholes surrounded by paperback trees, its red-stone cliffs lit by the rising sun. And grass, endless seas of grass. Here was the vision splendid: Nat Buchanan's grass castle. Gurindji country. And my country, Australia.'This is big country, the outback, home to the largest cattle and sheep stations in the world. Yet few of us know what goes on behind the farm gate. What's life really like when next door is 500 kilometres away, and ...