Outback and Out West examines the ecological consequences of a settler-colonial imaginary by comparing expressions of settler colonialism in the literature of the American West and Australian Outback. Tom Lynch traces exogenous domination in both regions, which resulted in many similar means of settlement, including pastoralism, homestead acts, afforestation efforts, and bioregional efforts at “belonging.” Lynch pairs the two nations’ texts to show how an analysis at the intersection of ecocriticism and settler colonialism requires a new canon that is responsive to the social, cultural, and ecological difficulties created by settlement in the West and Outback. Outback and Out West draws out the regional Anthropocene dimensions of settler colonialism, considering such pressing environmental problems as habitat loss, groundwater depletion, and mass extinctions. Lynch studies the implications of our settlement heritage on history, art, and the environment through the cross-national comparison of spaces. He asserts that bringing an ecocritical awareness to settler-colonial theory is essential for reconciliation with dispossessed Indigenous populations as well as reparations for ecological damages as we work to decolonize engagement with and literature about these places.
Nitmiluk, a national park in the northern territory, is on an Australian road leading through Southern Queensland, the Outback, the Northern Territory, the Red Centre, the Top End, North Queensland Tablelands, and back to the beginning in South East Queensland, fourteen thousand kilometers by car closed this tour circle.
From one of Australia's greatest novelists comes this fine collection, a storyteller's journey. These short stories and essays, written over the last forty years, comprise an insightful and intelligent meditation on the life of the novelist and the culture of contemporary Australia. Personal and intimate as many of these pieces are, this collection forms a kind of assured autobiography, of the sort that only Alex Miller could write. Alex Miller's stories are told with a rare level of wisdom and profundity, engaging the intellect and the emotions simultaneously. Stories are, after all, in his blood.
The true story of the man with the Best Job in the World The Best Job in the World is the story of how following your passions can lead to life-changing opportunities. Adventurer Ben Southall shares his experiences and lessons learned as the winner of the inaugural Tourism Queensland's Best Job in the World campaign, and reveals how this has led to ongoing opportunities since. Part autobiography, part insight into the power of a unique marketing campaign, this book follows Ben's journey—from leaving the UK on his own expedition around Africa to his new role as caretaker of Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef. You'll learn about the skills and experiences that shaped Ben's path, together with the inevitable pitfalls that he faced along the way to living his dream. The sole winner of the Best Job in the World campaign, Ben's perspective is a unique one to share the serious challenges that arose from being catapulted into a high profile job in an idyllic location. Humorous and poignant, the story is as much holistic life guide as travel guide, providing a motivational and inspirational tale that may just be the push you need to: Get inspired—see the opportunities around you and grab them with both hands Embrace the unknown, overcome life's obstacles and challenge expectations Live out your dreams and be your authentic self Climb out of the rut and take part in the world around you In The Best Job in the World, Ben Southall answers the questions everyone is asking: "What is it like? Is it really the best job in the world?" You'll learn how to transform your interests and passions into a flexible, long-term career, and how following the road less travelled can lead to living your best life. If you're dissatisfied, stuck in a rut or merely curious, The Best Job in the World is a must-read tale of aspiration, inspiration and motivation.
Coiled beneath discarded trash or rocky slabs, basking along river edges, and tucked into rock cuts beside the highway, reptiles and amphibians constantly surround us. While many people go out of their way to avoid snakes or shudder at the thought of touching a toad, herpers take to the field armed with cameras, hooks, and notebooks hoping to come across a horned lizard, green tree frog, or even a diamondback rattlesnake. In Herping Texas: The Quest for Reptiles and Amphibians, Michael Smith and Clint King, expert naturalists and field herpers, take readers on their adventures across the state as they search for favorite herps and rare finds. Organized by ecoregion, Herping Texas describes some of the state’s most spectacular natural places, from Big Bend to the Big Thicket. Each chapter contains photographs of the various snakes, lizards, toads, and turtles Smith and King have encountered on their trips. Part nature travel writing and part guide to field herping, Herping Texas also includes a section on getting started, where the authors give readers necessary background on best field herping practices. A glossary defines herping lingo and scientific terms for newcomers, and an appendix lists threatened and endangered species at the state and federal level. Herping Texas promotes experiencing natural places and wildlife equipped with solid information and a responsible conservation ethic. Throughout their decades tracking herps, Smith and King have collected humorous anecdotes and fascinating facts about reptiles and amphibians. By sharing those, they hope to dispel some of the stigma and false ideas people have about these misunderstood animals.
For children aged 9 to 10 years or year 4. It covers the history of discovering Australia and the explorers for each state. It then focuses on the environment and the local communities and local council structures.
Drawing on Australian and comparative case studies, this volume reconceptualises non-metropolitan creative economies through the ‘qualities of place’. This book examines the agricultural and gastronomic cultures surrounding ‘native’ foods, coastal sculpture festivals, universities and regional communities, wine in regional Australia and Canada, the creative systems of the Hunter Valley, musicians in ‘outback’ settings, Fab Labs as alternatives to clusters, cinema and the cultivation of ‘authentic’ landscapes, and tensions between the ‘representational’ and ‘non-representational’ in the cultural economies of the Blue Mountains. What emerges is a picture of rural and regional places as more than the ‘other’ of metropolitan creative cities. Place itself is shown to embody affordances, unique institutional structures and the invisible threads that ‘hold communities together’. If, in the wake of the publication of Florida’s Rise of the Creative Class, creative industries models tended to emphasize ‘big cities’ and the spatial-cum-cultural imaginaries of the ‘Global North’, recent research and policy discourses – especially, in the Australian context – have paid greater attention to ‘small cities’, rural and remote creativity. This collection will be of interest to scholars, students and practitioners in creative industries, urban and regional studies, sociology, geography and cultural planning.
With fresh journalistic writing and reams of information on what to see and do, this guide takes readers from the big cities to the countryside. Includes candid reviews on restaurants and accommodations for all budgets. 83 maps. Full-color insert. Two-color throughout.
This is the story of Sydney's much maligned western suburbs: how the city spread across the plains to the Blue Mountains, and why the 'westie' stigma haunts the people of the region. Resourceful and innovative, the people of the western suburbs have created a culture of their own, defying the 'westie' stigma. Out West uncovers the intricate social and cultural networks that make western Sydney a dynamic and stimulating place to live. Out West looks at how the land of the Darug people of the Cumberland Plain was first settled by whites in colonial times. It then traces the development of the 'westie' stigma from the time of inner-city slum clearances to post-war immigration and the more recent waves of moral panic about the youth of the region. It focuses in particular upon the way in which the media have contributed to the maintenance of the 'westie' image.
It's been more than a decade since Nicole Cavanagh's mother was found dead. But the people of Koomera Crossing are still talking about the rift that her death caused between the Cavanaghs and the McClellands—two powerful and formerly friendly families. Now Nicole has come home to the Outback determined to find out the truth behind her mother's death. Who would have thought that her one ally would be a McClelland?
Science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy, speculative fiction and a touch of horror, this collection plays with just about every genre, touching on everything from dragons to mermaids and pixies to zombies and trolls, this collection has a little bit of everything to share.
This volume showcases academic research into the rich diversity of music in Australia from colonial times to the present. Starting with an overview of developments during the past 50 years, the contributions discuss Western and non-western genres (opera, film, dance, choral, chamber); the history of music-making in particular cosmopolitan and regional centres (Canberra, Brisbane, the Hunter Valley, Alice Springs); old, new, and experimental compositions; and a variety of performers and ensembles active at particular points in time. In addition, cultural tropes and music as social practice are also explored, providing a rich tapestry of music and music-making in the country. The volume thus serves as a model for representing and approaching multicultural musical societies in an inclusive and comprehensive manner.
