AustLit

'J.J takes his best bear friend Teddy to martial arts. Teddy is nervous and excited, as he has never been before. Come on an adventure with J.J and Teddy and see how they become the Black Belt Kids.' (Publication summary)

'Edward John Eyre was one of the most intrepid explorers to tackle the unforgiving Australian outback - and one of the youngest. Lake Eyre, the Eyre Highway between Adelaide and Perth, and many other landmarks are named after him, yet so little is known of his time here. Author Ivan Rudolph shows how this idealistic young Englishman - still in his teens when he arrived in New South Wales in 1833 - transformed himself into a rugged frontiersman, one of the first to overland cattle to Melbourne and Adelaide. But it's Eyre's attempt on the Nullarbor that was the peak of his Australian career. Determined to find an overland route to Perth, he left Adelaide with a small party on 18 June 1840. Ivan Rudolph relates their journey step by step - and it makes for gripping reading. Beset by the harsh terrain, scarcity of water, the danger from hostile Indigenous people and dissent - and worse - among Eyre's companions, could Eyre achieve his ambition and find a way across the Nullarbor? A fascinating portrait of a forgotten hero of Australian history.' (Publisher's blurb)

'This collection of short stories about the Outback is the result of the eighth writing competition for the Outback Writers’ Festival held in Winton on 20–22 June 2023.

'The winner was announced at the Festival.  The best stories are in this book.' (Publication summary)

'A woman lies dead after tumbling down the stairs of a Cairns townhouse. Did she fall or was she pushed? A young man is stabbed to death in a fight in his brother’s kitchen. The remains of a baby are unearthed from behind an abandoned house. It’s all in a day’s work for Detective Cass Diamond. And what seem at first separate incidents may have a thread linking them. As Cass and her team, now including Detective Jo Murphy from the Cairns Drug Squad, delve into the background of the cases, they find unexpected threats, some of which lurk deep in the tropical rainforest surrounding the town, and some that take human form.' (Publication summary)

'Dylan Alcott is a national treasure. An Olympic gold medalist in both wheelchair basketball and tennis. With a never give up attitude, Dylan is considered to be one of the worlds greatest athletes. The 2022 Australian of the year, Dylan is a true Aussie Big Achiever who's story will inspire any child to achieve their very own dreams.' (Publication summary)

'It seems that disaster follows Triz at every turn. And now the sun has disappeared! Feeling responsible, he tries everything he can think of to restore the sun to its rightful place no matter how ridiculous his ideas might be. Will his attempts work? And can he bring it back for before it is too late? Join Triz on his next adventure.' (Publication summary)

'It’s a marvellous collection of inspiring stories from some of Australia’s most soul-stirring women; an eye-opening window into astonishing lives built on strength of character and an independent spirit.

'From medical professionals who achieved astonishing success with ground-breaking methods, to a celebrated nurse who survived the horrors of a World War II prison camp, Elizabeth Fysh takes the fortunate reader on a fascinating journey.

'The subjects are exceptional people and include the woman who created Australia’s first luxury hotel, the pioneer anthropologist who recorded the lives of the Wik people in Cape York, and the journalist who was at the centre of intrigue between the two World Wars. There’s the mystery of the celebrated decorator whose brutal murder was never solved, the travails of the hardy Outback stockwoman immortalised in a Slim Dusty hit, and so many more eye-opening accounts of remarkable women with unbreakable mettle.' (Publication summary)

'He volunteered for a UN peacekeeping mission, as simple and as dull as assisting in overseeing an election in a politically unstable African nation clawing its way towards democracy. But Greg Lassiter found himself in a world of political skulduggery, violence, death, revolution and the darkest side of humanity.' (Publication summary)

'This is a story of extraordinary resilience. It is about one person’s irresistible dedication to rural and remote communities, and to supporting local’, right across Australia.

'Selina Win Pe has a heart of gold that carries so much love for so many others. Her commitment to bush people is endless and entirely selfless. From the very beginning, she has invested her personal savings and proceeds from the sale of her property to 100% support her journey and all she connects with, on her own. Yet her journey was born from significant personal trauma. This is a remarkable story about one person’s determination to bring people together – city to country, country to city.

'The story honours our farmers, and the communities on which we all rely for our day-to-day living and survival. She credits them, and her support systems, for saving her life.

'Selina Win Pe’s story is an inspiration to us all. It epitomises what it means to be an Australian.' (Publication summary)

'When Fen was born, her father gave her a special gift, knowing it would help her through any difficult times. However, just when she is about to face her biggest challenge, Fen loses her gift, and can’t find it anywhere.'(Publication summary)

'On the spiritual place of Wadjemup, Rottnest Island, tourists are injuring the animals and making them sick.

'It’s time to make a stand.

'In this Aboriginal Dreaming story, farting quokkas, dive-bombing seabirds and protesting snakes teach us how to look after our sacred land and its animals.

'Through Old Nana Quokka, Book 3 in the Spirit of the Dreaming series,Yamatji-Noongar Elder Aunty Rhonda Collard-Spratt shares the healing wisdom of her ancestors, and the importance of caring for Country.' (Publication summary)

'Wayne Long is a proud Murri man, born in St George on the Balonne River, but he is also a child of the Middle Kingdom – his grandfather, Old Billy Long, being part of the Chinese diaspora.

'Wayne’s story is interwoven with the historical, political and social events that have impacted on inter-racial relations in Australia for more than two hundred years, from Cooks landing to Mabo, from the Frontier Wars to the 1987 Goondiwindi riots, from the White Australia Policy to Paul Keatings Redfern speech.' (Publication summary)

'This collection of short stories about the Outback is the result of the sixth writing competition for the Outback Writers’ Festival held in Winton on 21–23 June 2022.

'The winner was announced at the Festival.  The best stories are in this book.' (Publication summary)

'Shane Warne was an Australian international cricketer, whose career ran from 1991 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-handed batsman for Victoria, Hampshire and Australia. He is widely acknowledged to have been one of the sport's greatest-ever bowlers; he made 145 Test appearances, taking 708 wickets.' (Publication summary)

'Shane Warne is widely acknowledged to have been one of the sport's greatest-ever bowlers; he made 145 Test appearances, taking 708 wickets, and set the record for the most wickets taken by any bowler in Test cricket, a record he held until 2007. The Aussie Big Achievers series of books are a fun and educational way for children to learn about some of Australia's most interesting and inspiring people who have helped shape our nation. Each book encourages children to always believe in themselves and never give up on their dreams.'(Publication summary)

'Papua New Guinea nurse Maiogaru Taulebona hid a wounded Australian airman in a cave, deep in the jungle near Milne Bay in World War 2. With two words, I promise, she was bound to the task of saving his life. Hiding him in a canoe under a pile of vegetables, Maiogaru paddled him through Japanese-occupied waters to safety. Her bravery was recognised when she was awarded the Royal Australia Air Force Loyalty Medal.'  (Publication summary)

'Cattleman Jack Harding has information he thinks will lead him and his Aboriginal friend, Sam Wundura, to the fabled Lasseter’s Reef which he must find if he is to recover his family birthright, Belowra Downs station. The Land Council has given him permission to search Native Land. The Local Aborigines haven’t.

'Neither has Brett Hamilton of ASIO’s Domestic Operation Unit who cannot allow the Reef ever to be discovered. It is a matter of vital national importance that the location of Lasseter’s Reef remains secret. Hamilton despatches an SAS patrol led by a psychopathic sergeant to ensure Harding fails without the Aborigines knowing. But can the sergeant follow orders?

'Harding is in for a hard time and when he thinks things can’t get worse … they do.'  (Publication summary)

'‘Where birds are made of rainbows and foxes are furry and shy, we can spy’.
Join Bea as her imagination takes her on a journey to all her favourite places with her grandpa in a hand written letter.

'Jacinta was inspired by her grandparents’ love and knowledge of nature and creating fun from the simple things in life, which was passed down to her and now to her children through her parents.

'The story highlights the importance of these relationships and how they can enrich our lives, as well as the connections with elders and how they can nourish a growing child’s mind through their rich knowledge of the world around them.' (Publication summary)

'This is the story of Jupiter Mosman’s slow emergence as the declared discoverer at Charters Towers where he spent most of his life. This is set against new research into how the city’s Indigenous People were also accommodated: from first contact in 1845 to self-determination in the 1970s.'  (Publication summary)