New South Wales

It was 1786 when Arthur Phillip, an ambitious captain in the Royal Navy, was assigned the formidable task of organizing an expedition to Australia in order to establish a penal colony. With the authority of a renowned historian and the narrative grace of a brilliant novelist, Thomas Keneally offers an insider's perspective into the dramatic saga of the birth of a vibrant society in an unfamiliar land.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Exiles and The Dry comes a captivating new novel set in a modern ghost town. Carralon Ridge, a once vibrant village in rural New South Wales, has become a shell of itself, its houses and buildings bought up and left to rot by the mining company...

In the early twentieth century, it was often said that “Australia rides on the sheep’s back”—a reflection of the nation’s dependence on the wool trade. Accordingly, a vast itinerant army of labourers was required to shear the sheep and prepare fleeces for market. In this essay, Rolf Boldrewood provides a vivid picture of the shearing season on a large property.

In the summer of 1839, 26-year-old Louisa Anne Meredith, in the company of her husband, Charles Meredith, sailed from England to the British colony of New South Wales, in what was then New Holland. Four years later, she published a detailed account of the years since she had left England. A fascinating window into the past, Louisa's impressions and experiences cover the four-month ocean voyage; life within the fledgling city of Sydney; travels across the Blue Mountains to Bathurst; and eventual settlement at Homebush in Sydney's west.

In the Summer of 2011, my son John and I took the Monaro Highway south from Canberra, heading for Charlotte’s Pass in Kosciuszko National Park. Full of enthusiasm, our plan on the day was to do the 18-kilometre round trip in seven or eight hours. We arrived at Charlotte’s around 9am, and were greatly disappointed to find thick fog, cold wind and icy rain lashing the windows of the car and making it rock. Nearby an organised group of hikers were getting ready to depart. They were fully kitted out with hiking poles and hooded wet weather gear over the top of bulky layers of warm clothing ...

History of Australia Australia is one of those countries that are known for the fauna – but not always for their remarkable past. Starting with the history of the aboriginal roots and going for its evolution into the present day, Australia was not an easy continent to live in. There used to be bloodshed, conflict, and a lot of negativity at every step. However, while it may feature a dark past marked by battles, massacres, and conflicts between the aboriginal folk and the people, it is these events that turned Australia into what it is today. Each event brought with it a lesson – one ...

Greater Than a Tourist: Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia by Lauren Williams offers the inside scoop on Byron Bay. Most travel books tell you how to travel like a tourist. Although there's nothing wrong with that, as a part of the Greater Than a Tourist series, this audiobook will give you tips and a bunch of ideas from someone who lives at your next travel destination. In this audiobook, you'll discover local advice that will help you throughout your stay. Greater Than a Tourist is a series of travel books written by locals.

When successful Sydney lawyer Miranda McIntyre searches for something old to go with her wedding dress, she remembers an antique necklace from her childhood. Her mother’s denial of its existence only deepens Miranda’s curiosity, but the discovery of a faded wedding photo and an old newspaper clipping reveal long-buried family secrets. Who is the woman in the photo? And why are these keepsakes hidden in her mother’s closet? Miranda’s quest for the truth takes her on a road trip, south to the idyllic seaside village of Pelican Point.

As a teenage orphan in England in 1791, Mary Reibey was sentenced to death for stealing a horse. When police cornered her, she was dressed as a boy, and she maintained that disguise until she was unmasked at her trial. Due to her 'tender age', Reibey was spared the hangman's noose and sentenced to seven years' transportation to the colony of New South Wales. With the odds stacked against her, Reibey went on to become Australia's first female business tycoon and the richest woman in the colony, founding the Bank of New South Wales, now one of the nation's biggest financial institutions.

The 30th novel from Australia's favourite storyteller Di Morrissey, with new novel The Endless Sky coming December 2025. A story about friendship and what happens when dreams come true . . . The arrival of a hotshot New York composer brings a rare touch of glamour and excitement to the peaceful...

Wales is a land filled with mythology. Every breathtaking valley, towering mountain, shimmering lake, and magical castle has a mythical tale to entertain and enchant you. The Welsh, like other Celtic races, love to tell stories. From before the time of the Mabinogion and the Black Book of Carmarthen, they have passed dark winter nights telling Welsh fables, fairy tales and legends. The folklore of Wales and its history are interwoven with myths and legends that cross the centuries.

As a teenage orphan in England in 1791, Mary Reibey was sentenced to death for stealing a horse. When police cornered her, she was dressed as a boy, and she maintained that disguise until she was unmasked at her trial. Due to her 'tender age', Reibey was spared the hangman's noose and sentenced to seven years' transportation to the colony of New South Wales. With the odds stacked against her, Reibey went on to become Australia's first female business tycoon and the richest woman in the colony, founding the Bank of New South Wales, now one of the nation's biggest financial institutions.

As Australia sank into the darkest days of the Great Depression, a succession of bloody mysteries grabbed headlines and gripped the country. The Hammer Horror, The Bungendore Bones, The Park Demon, The Human Glove and The Pyjama Girl—these were just some of the grisly cases that had to be solved by the Sydney detectives of The Murder Squad. The Murder Squad reopens the files on Australia's most chilling forgotten crimes to ask who was guilty, who was innocent, and whether some cops were as dangerous as the monsters they were hunting.

The Forgotten Children was David Hill's heartbreaking account of the abuse that he and other 'orphans of empire' survived at the Fairbridge Farm School in New South Wales. Part memoir, part oral history, the book became a best seller. It was also the catalyst in a subsequent battle for justice. In Reckoning, David recounts stories of the shocking systemic abuse at Fairbridge and how he led the fight against the powerful people and organisations.

In the sleepy, scenic Southern Highlands of New South Wales, a beautiful young woman goes missing. Six years later, recently divorced historian Rose McHugh leaves the city to start a new life in the Highlands and finds a roll of film buried in her back garden. On it are photos of the missing woman. Against the advice of an enigmatic detective, she uses her powers of persuasion and her knack for deciphering clues to pursue the case. As Rose searches through tangled secrets and hidden places haunted by the past, she realises there is a killer at large.

London, 1807: William Thornhill makes a mistake for which he and his family are made to pay dearly. His sentence: to be transported to New South Wales. The Thornhills arrive in a harsh and alien land that they do not understand. When William claims a hundred acres for himself, he is shocked to find Aboriginal people already living on it - and that other recent arrivals are finding their own ways to respond to them. Soon William has to make the most difficult decision of his life.