Australia Nonfiction

How an ancient land became a great democracy. Longlisted for Best Non Fiction in the Indie Book Awards 2026 'Tony Abbott should be congratulated ... This history of Australia is vivid, readable, provocative' Geoffrey Blainey, historian 'I think it's very good' Tom Holland, historian Australia is...

The mutiny on HMS Bounty, in the South Pacific on 28 April 1789, is one of history's truly great stories - a tale of human drama, intrigue and adventure of the highest order - and in the hands of Peter FitzSimons it comes to life as never before. Commissioned by the Royal Navy to collect...

Take a trip to “The Land Down Under” and discover all of the unusual wildlife inhabiting the Outback! There are kangaroos, wild dogs called dingoes, and nearly 700 types of birds in Australia. This title will also take listeners to the Great Barrier Reef and to some of the largest cities in Australia, showing kids the daily life and culture of Aussies.

Long before Australia started to be considered one of the best places in the world to live, it was thought to be completely unlivable. In the 15th century, the European race to claim land began. Despite the fact that Australia was a large landmass, no nation believed it was worth colonizing. The land was claimed by the Netherlands. However, little exploration happened there. Many countries actually believed it to be uninhabitable. However, the Aboriginal populations had already been thriving on the land for millennia.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE A NEW YORKER NOTABLE BOOK OF 2025 ∙ A LITHUB FAVORITE BOOK OF 2025 From the beloved master of Australian letters Helen Garner comes a brand new work of nonfiction, exploring boyhood, football, and the quotidian joys of family life. "Inclusive...

In 1932, Australia faced an enemy it did not know how to defeat. The enemy did not carry weapons. It did not wear uniforms. It did not negotiate. It walked on long legs, moved in scattered groups, and refused to behave like anything a modern army had trained for. The War Australia Lost to Birds tells the true story of one of the most astonishing and uncomfortable episodes in modern history: the moment a national government authorized military force against a population of emus—and failed. In the years following World War I, Australia was under immense strain. Returning soldiers were given...

The New York Times bestselling true story of an Australian ultramarathon runner and a little dog who formed an unbreakable bond in the middle of the Gobi desert. Finding Gobi is the miraculous tale of Dion Leonard, a seasoned ultramarathon runner who crosses paths with a stray dog while...

“If you read just one book about economics, make it Andrew Leigh's clear, insightful, and remarkable (and short) work.” —Claudia Goldin, recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics and Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University A sweeping, engrossing history of how economic...

Live the action of six deadly and seminal conflicts in Australia’s first 150 years: The Eureka Stockade – The Gold Miners of Ballarat’s valiant stand against Government tyranny. The Siege at Glenrowan – Australia’s most infamous outlaw, Ned Kelly, shoots it out with police. The Battle of Cocos Islands – The face-off between HMAS Sydney and SMS Emden would result in the Australian Navy’s first victory. The Broken Hill Massacre – A call to jihad in Turkey is the catalyst for the first terrorist act in Australia. The Battle of Surry Hills – A rambunctious American, called ‘...

*Now a Netflix film* The inspiring true story of Jessica Watson—an Australian teenager who set out to sail solo around the world! On May 15, 2010, after 210 days at sea and more than 22,000 nautical miles, sixteen-year-old Jessica Watson sailed her thirty-three-foot boat triumphantly back to...

An alphabetical exploration of the people, geography, animals, plants, history, and culture of New Zealand.

The day that turns a life upside down usually starts like any other, but what happens the day after? Dual Walkley Award-winner Leigh Sales investigates how ordinary people endure the unthinkable. As a journalist, Leigh Sales often encounters people experiencing the worst moments of their lives...

Hunter. Worker. Legend. The untold story of the dog's role in building a nation. The Dogs That Made Australia pays tribute to the dogs that gave their all for our prosperity: the fearless hounds that saved fledgling colonies from famine; the courageous heelers and tireless collies that powered...

Why does God feel so distant so often, and how do I bridge the gap? Does your hunger for God often seem more frustrating than satisfying? Have you sensed a disturbing disparity between God's promises and life's realities? Have you seen God's promises work, but you've stumbled and want to believe...

Australia is home to some of the most unusual animals in the world. Did you know, millions of years ago, all the continents were clumped into one large landmass? When the continents began to break away, South America, Antarctica, and Australia were still stuck together. Later, South America connected to North America, but Australia separated. It kept evolving in isolation, which is why the animals of Australia can look very different from animals anywhere else in the world.

Words no child should ever hear - and yet they became the sentence that defined his life. Once you start, you won’t believe it’s real. Once you finish, you’ll wish it wasn’t. Raised in rural Australia under the rule of a mother obsessed with appearances and a father too weary to intervene, Will Power grew up believing that love had conditions. Between farm chores, silence, and the hum of the fence line that marked the edge of his world, he learned that family could wound as deeply as it protected. But when survival becomes a habit, hope can take root in the unlikeliest places. We ...

'A riveting ride along the knife edge of life and death from a frontline worker in one of our most crucial professions.' Fiona Kelly McGregor, author of Iris 'Frog', a term of endearment for intensive care paramedics, derives from the notion that everything they touch croaks. Sally Gould...

'Love has always intrigued me, in part because I have carried for a long time a feeling that I am doing love wrong.' Michael made a name for himself on the hit show Love on the Spectrum. After his televised first dating experiences, will he complete his quest to find his queen? Chloë was always...

The 20th anniversary edition of the iconic book that takes parents into the mysterious world of boys. THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF A PARENTING CLASSIC How do you raise boys to men in a world where trouble beckons at every turn? How do you make sure they learn the 'right' lessons, stay...

Samah Sabawi shares the story of her parents and many like them who were born as their parents were being forced to leave their homelands. Filled with love for land, history, peoples it is more than anything else a family story and a love story told with enormous humanity and feeling. How the...