Page 68 - New Zealand: Natural Wonders North & South

Australia

A Traveller’s History of Australia by John H. Chambers (History) A concise account of Australia’s
history—from the arrival of the earliest Aborigines around 50,000 years ago to the
preparations for the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000. (And yes, the title has two “Ls” in
“traveller”; the series is British.)

Chasing Kangaroos by Tim Flannery (Natural History) Part road-trip, part natural history, this
book is an ode to Australia’s national animal combined with the author’s search to trace when
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Dirt Music by Tim Winton (Literature) A powerful and suspenseful story about the tragic
passion between two vulnerable people—an alcoholic woman stuck in a broken relationship
and a grief-stricken poacher.

In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (History) Lots of history mixed in with the best-selling
author’s comedic observations about Australia, its people, and its cultural institutions.
Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway (Memoir) A beautifully written narrative of Conway’s
girlhood on an isolated sheep farm in the grasslands of Australia prior to her departure for
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Bony, who is half-Aborigine, searches for a missing man in the Outback.

The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes (History) An immensely readable yet scholarly account of
Australia’s tragic origins. Hughes combines thorough research with a compelling narrative in
this splendid work.

The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin (Cultural Portrait). In this unusual book, Chatwin combines
straightforward reporting, history, dream-time stories, and a heady mix of quotations
from his notebooks. This book may not be in stock at your local store, but it can still be
found online.

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (Literature) One of the most beloved novels of all
time—a saga of dreams, struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love that has enthralled
readers the world over. The Thorn Birds is a chronicle of three generations of the Cleary family
with a love story at its heart.

True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey (Literature) Undoubtedly Australia’s most potent
legend, Ned Kelly is a mythic hero and Wild West-style outlaw. This is a breathless adventure,
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daughter whom he will never meet. Winner of the 2001 Booker Prize.

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