Some of the world's oldest stories are told beneath Australian skies. Master storyteller Graham Seal takes us on a journey through time, from ancient narratives recounted across generations to the symbols and myths that resonate with Australians today.
He uncovers tales of ancient floods and volcanic eruptions, and shows us Australia's own silk road. He locates the real Crocodile Dundee and explores the truth behind the legend of the Pilliga Princess. He retells old favourites such as the great flood at Gundagai, the boundary rider's wife and the Australian who invented the first military tank, and presents little known figures like mailman Jimmy, who carried the post barefoot across the Nullarbor Plain, architect Edith Emery and Paddy the Poet, as well as the unusual sporting techniques of the Gumboot Tortoise.
These yarns of ratbags, rebels, heroes and villains, unsettling legends and clever creations reveal that it's the small, human stories that, together, make up the greater story of Australia and its people.
'Graham Seal has the knack of the storyteller' - Warren Fahey
By:
Graham Seal
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 153mm,
Weight: 377g
ISBN: 9781761471131
ISBN 10: 1761471139
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 01 October 2024
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Maps Prologue PART ONE The disappearing man 1 A pink pub, a blind croc and an empty bar stool 2 An esky race, 600,000 mealworms and an uncollected mower 3 Some dingo scalps, a stolen piano accordion and a desperate search through the wretched Never Never 4 A half-liquefied chicken, a pop band attacked by termites and the word 'murder' 5 A dead donkey, fifty shades of biscuit and the problem with pies 6 A suspicious croc, a drained septic tank and a landscape full of secrets 7 Camel mince waffles, a roadkill prank and a yearning for a gin and squash 8 A world war, a maybe-murdered buffalo and Monty the unbeatable lizard 9 A town war, a prince with the trots and enough sinkholes to make you nervous 10 A moment of civic glory, an alcoholic donkey and two not-so-undercover cops 11 A bogged camel, an exploding cow and a series of fallings-out 12 A long-awaited homecoming, kangaroo for dinner and 65,000 years of history 13 A faceful of grasshoppers, some Russian peanut farmers and the loneliness of a ghost town PART TWO The disappearing town 14 The sound of falcons being shot, an octogenarian looking for love and a quest for justice 15 A rejected gardening book, a lover (not a fighter) and a case of osteoarthritis 16 A bushie who finally talks, a gentle red nose pit bull and a case of osteoporosis 17 A soon-to-be-homeless crocodile, a plate full of rissoles and a lack of closure PART THREE The disappearing outback 18 An angry ghost woman, a mobile phone black spot and a highway of tears 19 A publican who went troppo, a million bats and a town set on repeat 20 A family full of Patricks, a horny border collie and a man without a past 21 Some legless trousers, the world's loudest burper and a shameful history 22 Some weird energy, a dead-weird PhD and an even weirder offer 23 A maybe-mercenary, a man in the scrub and a policeman haunted by Paddy 24 A lost cemetery, cane toad curry and a cockatoo with chlamydia 25 More buffalo shooting, some heat-stroked mealworms and all the ways to die in the bush 26 A pub full of bras, a Super Mega Fugly stunt and a feed of beef and barra 27 A burnt-down supermarket, a disgraced All Blacks player and another Moriarty 28 An abandoned Mardi Gras, $6000 in change and an accidental eavesdropping 29 Some booze-smuggling scumbags, a covert sausage sizzle and a lot of broken hearts 30 A pelican plague, two million cows and a poacher with a thorny devil 31 A lost city, a miraculously green lawn and an endangered pygmy hippopotamus 32 A vegan dog, a stuffed panda and thirteen death adders in a jar 33 A space mural, some fluffy scones and the town dreamer 34 A graveyard of barrels, a drink-driving cowboy and a final bittersweet beer Epilogue Postscript Update: June 2024 Acknowledgements
Graham Seal is an award-winning biographer, songwriter and poet. He is the bestselling author of many books, including Great Australian Stories, Great Bush Stories, Great Convict Stories, Great Australian Mysteries and Australia's Most Infamous Criminals. He is Emeritus Professor of Folklore at Curtin University.
