Classics Australia

“A rare kind of writer and a formidable one.” —The New York Times “Wood inserts the reader straight into the jaws of her story, never relenting until the devastating end. If you raced through I Who Have Never Known Men or The Handmaid’s Tale and are looking for something with the same...

Deep in the heart of Australia's high country, along an ancient, hidden track, live Molly Johnson and her children. Husband Joe is away droving, leaving his family in the bush to fend for itself. Molly's children are her world, and life is hard with only their dog, Alligator, and a shotgun for...

In the summer of 1944 returning soldiers Canning Christie and his father Michael arrive in South Australia from the desert sands of North Africa. Canning carries the trauma of war and a fractured memory of a terrible event, while charismatic Michael resumes his womanising ways, intent on...

Jack Middleton likes to imagine himself a country squire. At weekends he retires to Laverings Estate with his wife, Catherine. He may be pompous, and they may seem ill-matched, but the couple are devoted to each other. When Jack's widowed sister, Lilian, and her two stepchildren arrive to spend...

Colditz Castle was Nazi Germany’s infamous ‘escape-proof’ wartime prison, where hundreds of the most determined and resourceful Allied prisoners were sent. Despite having more guards than inmates, Australian Lieutenant Jack Champ and other prisoners tirelessly carried out their campaign to...

Seven Little Australians is the story of the mischievous seven children of the Woolcot family - Meg, Pip, Judy, Bunty, Nell, Baby, and the General, whose father little understands them and whose young stepmother is hardly an adult herself. The Australian bush sets an iconic backdrop for the misadventures of this energetic mob.

'An Australian classic in the making.' Australian Women's Weekly 'A rich Australian epic.' New York Times 'A masterful examination of loss . . . A remarkable, poignant tale.' Guardian 'A satisfying and superior work of commercial fiction.' The Australian 'A masterful saga well worth the wait...

One sacred book. Two ruthless hunters. No place to hide. At the heart of Australia’s red-desert sprawl sits Uluru, the country’s most iconic landmark. But what lies beneath its ancient rock face is a secret guarded for millennia — a book of unimaginable power known as the Seventh List. Two well-funded international groups are closing in, determined to claim the list and wield its knowledge of birth, death and fate. Facing them: the guardians of Uluru and a small band of locals who know the truth about the rock and the cost of its protection. As the battle moves from sacred chambers to...

Paul is about to graduate near the top of his class as a motorcycle mechanic. He was once a gang member but, having served his time, is about to be released from prison. All he needs is a job and a safe place to live. Paul is also an Aboriginal of the Kamilaroi mob, trying to live between two cultures, yet he faces misunderstanding, racism and intolerance nearly every day. In this book, Peter J. Uren explores the impact Paul's experiences have on the lives of the old mechanic and those who work in his workshop.

The Australian outback is a place of red earth, endless skies, winding rivers and remarkable animals—and whenever someone is sick, injured or in trouble, there is one little aeroplane everyone hopes to hear. Meet Doctor Clancy, a kind-hearted kookaburra who flies across the outback in his trusty aircraft, The Laughing Gull, bringing help wherever it is needed. Alongside dependable Matilda Roo, ingenious (if occasionally overconfident) Dusty Dingo, and the endlessly enthusiastic Wizzle the frill-neck lizard, every journey becomes an adventure filled with courage, compassion and plenty of ...

Sybylla Melvin is a misfit. She barely endures the dreary life of dairy farming in a family that can hardly make ends meet. Out of the blue, she is invited to move back to the family property, Caddagat, to live with Grannie, Aunt Helen, and Uncle Jay Jay. With a cast of interesting neighbors and friends, Sybylla finally seems to discover hope in the world. She is nourished by thoughtful conversation, books, and music. Harold Beecham's love, however, throws her into indecision and painful tension.

What makes for a surfing life? With a blaze of groundbreaking performances and a swag of titles claimed from all over the world to his name, Australian world champion surfer Nat Young might know. His seventieth birthday inspired some reflection on exactly that, and on the waves and characters...

With more than half a million copies in print worldwide and now in this stunning hardback edition, How to Read a Book is the classic and definitive guide to reading comprehension for students of literature, scholars across disciplines, and anyone who just loves to read. Originally written in...

'Charming, very funny indeed. Angela Thirkell is perhaps the most Pym-like of any twentieth-century author, after Pym herself' Alexander McCall Smith It is wartime in Barsetshire, and so much has changed. Belier's Priory is now a hospital for wounded soldiers, and Sir Harry and Lady Waring have...

A first-rate thriller about an American millionaire who owns the House of Cain, a haven for murderers wanted by the law. Austilene Thorpe is accused of murder but then disappears from gaol. Her fiance, Martin Sherwood, goes blind from shock. His famous adventuring brother Monty learns that Austilene is in a refuge for murderers in the far north-east corner of South Australia, and together the Sherwoods set out to find her and bring her back to Melbourne....

For fans of The Light Between Oceans, this “exquisitely written, true book of wonders” (Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author) explores the aftermath of World War II in an Australian seaside town, and the mysterious poem that changes the lives of those who encounter it. In 1948, in...

In 1902, newly-married Jeannie Gunn (Mrs Aeneas Gunn) left the security and comfort of her Melbourne home to travel to the depths of the Northern Territory, Australia, where her husband had been appointed manager of 'The Elsey', a large cattle station. One of the very few white women in the area, she was at first resented by people on and around the station, till her warmth and spirit won their affection and respect. This is her moving and simple account of her life amidst the beauty and cruelty of the land.

A woman goes missing. Her car is discovered in the Australian Outback, burnt out but there is no body. Her husband, her son and the local gigolo are all suspects but the case comes to a dead end then Police Constable Elizabeth West is bound, gaged and abducted by a ruthless killer. Can Detective Bigfoot save her? 'Deadly serious and laugh out loud funny.' Revised and Rewritten.

WINNER OF THE 2026 INDIE BOOK AWARD - CHILDREN'S Discover the Wundrous world of Nevermoor in the highly anticipated fourth book in the New York Times bestselling series. Morrigan Crow is ready for a new adventure. In Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow, we will travel to places in Nevermoor...

'Spellbinding' Ian Rankin 'A riveting murder mystery and a beautifully wrought picture of a rural community under extreme pressure' Mail on Sunday Thriller of the Week 'Packed with sneaky moves and teasing possibilities that keep the reader guessing...The Dry is a breathless page-turner' Janet...