Today, a trip to Hawaii is a simple six-hour flight from the West Coast. But almost a century ago, the first flights to Hawaii required a nerve-wracking and uncertain twenty-six-hour journey to isolated and elusive islands located in the middle of the world's largest ocean. Pilots prayed they would encounter land after flying a full day and night across 2,400 miles of the open Pacific.Race to Hawaii chronicles the thrilling first flights to Hawaii in the 1920s, during the Golden Age of Aviation. These journeys were fraught with danger. To reach the tiny islands, fearless pilots flew unreliable and fragile aircraft outfitted with primitive air navigation equipment. The first attempts were made by the US Navy in the flying boat PN-9 No.1, whose crew endured a harrowing crossing. Next were Army Air Corps aviators and a civilian pilot, who informally raced each other to Hawaii in the weeks after Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris.Finally came the Dole Derby, an unprecedented 1927 air race in which eight planes set off at once across the Pacific, all eager to reach the islands first and claim a cash prize offered by 'Pineapple King' James Dole. Military men, barnstormers, a schoolteacher, a Wall Street bond salesman, a Hollywood stunt flyer, and veteran World War aces all encountered every type of hazard during their perilous flights, from fuel shortages to failed engines, forced sea landings and severe fatigue to navigational errors. With so many pilots taking aim at the far-flung islands in so many different types of planes, everyone wondered who would reach Hawaii first, or at all.
Australia's Number 1 True Crime Writer on Australia's Greatest Gold Robbery.
On 15 June 1862, a gang of bushrangers held up a gold escort at Eugowra, just east of Forbes, NSW. They escaped with a pile of cash and 77 kilograms of gold, worth about $10 million today. It remains the largest gold robbery in Australian history.
In this riveting re-creation of the events, James Phelps finally tells the full story of how Frank Gardiner, Ben Hall, John O'Meally, Johnny Gilbert, Henry Manns, Alexander Fordyce, John Bow and Dan Charters planned and executed the robbery - and what happened to all that gold. Australian Heist is a thrilling, fast-paced and thoroughly modern take on one of the most extraordinary episodes in the nation's history, by Australia's number-one true-crime writer.
Australia's Number 1 True Crime Writer on Australia's Greatest Gold Robbery. On 15 June 1862, a gang of bushrangers held up a gold escort at Eugowra, just east of Forbes, NSW. They escaped with a pile of cash and 77 kilograms of gold, worth about $10 million today. It remains the largest gold robbery in Australian history.
In this riveting re-creation of the events, James Phelps finally tells the full story of how Frank Gardiner, Ben Hall, John O'Meally, Johnny Gilbert, Henry Manns, Alexander Fordyce, John Bow and Dan Charters planned and executed the robbery - and what happened to all that gold. Australian Heist is a thrilling, fast-paced and thoroughly modern take on one of the most extraordinary episodes in the nation's history, by Australia's number-one true-crime writer.
Hunter. Worker. Legend. The untold story of the dog's role in building our nation.The Dogs That Made Australia pays tribute to the dogs that gave their all for our prosperity: the fearless hounds that saved fledgling colonies from famine; the courageous heelers and tireless collies that powered the rise of beef and wool; the tough little home-grown terriers that protected the homestead and garden; and the extraordinary police dogs, ahead of their time, loved by the nation. The selfless exploits of our heroic dogs are writ indelibly in our nation's heritage and identity. The Dogs That Made Australia is a vivid and meticulously researched history of Australia told from the perspectives of the dingo and of the dogs that were imported and developed here, as well as the humans who loved, feared and worked them."A highly readable book about Australia's dog heroes and their contribution to Australia's development. This is a book for the ages. I loved every page!" Tony Parsons, OAM, author of The Kelpie
Celebrated historian Diana Preston presents betrayals, escapes, and survival at sea in her account of the mutiny of the Bounty and the flight of convicts from the Australian penal colony. The story of the mutiny of the Bounty and William Bligh and his men's survival on the open ocean for 48 days and 3,618 miles has become the stuff of legend. But few realize that Bligh's escape across the seas was not the only open-boat journey in that era of British exploration and colonization. Indeed, 9 convicts from the Australian penal colony, led by Mary Bryant, also traveled 3,250 miles across the open ocean and some uncharted seas to land at the same port Bligh had reached only months before. In this meticulously researched dual narrative of survival, acclaimed historian Diana Preston provides the background and context to explain the thrilling open-boat voyages each party survived and the Pacific Island nations each encountered on their journey to safety. Through this deep-dive, readers come to understand the Pacific Islands as they were and as they were perceived, and how these seemingly utopian lands became a place where mutineers, convicts, and eventually the natives themselves, were chained.
We hear about the furious debate of mining nickel at a place called Yakabindie in the Western Desert of Australia and the protection of sacred sites by Indigenous Australians. Dominion mining company wanted to mine nickel in Jones creek at Yakabindie and a part of the Indigenous community wanted to protect Jones creek.
There was a furious debate which involved a heated meeting between 2 groups of Indigenous Australians at Yakabindie. One group was saying that there were no sacred sites in Jones creek and the other group were saying that there were sacred sites in Jones creek which involved the Tjikuna Dreaming story.
The Tjinkuna Dreaming story of how Jones creek was formed goes like this. A dragon fly was chasing 2 serpents through the desert landscape and jones creek was formed in the Dreamtime by the dragon fly chasing these 2 serpents. One of the serpents got away and the other serpent was caught by the dragon fly and eaten.
We confront anthropologist, Rory O'Connor at Yakabindie about his report for Dominion mining company, as he states that the sacred sites were in the ranges west of Jones creek and that there were no sacred sites in Jones creek as part of the Tjinkuna story. He reads from his report that Indigenous people state that there are no sacred sites in Jones creek.
We hear from an elderly lady, Dolly Walker from the Nghalia heritage council that there are sacred sites in Jones creek which involve the Tjikuna Dreaming story. She states that those Indigenous people who want the nickel mine to go ahead are just interested in money and are selling their souls by giving their culture away. She says that Christian people don't want to give their Church away so why should they give their Culture away by mining Jones creek.
Anthropologist Phillip Moore says his report about Jones Creek having sacred sites in it, was never considered by the state government. A young man called Zar says he will now not go through Traditional Indigenous Law to become a man if Jones creek is mined, as part of the Tjikuna story will be gone forever. Traditional Law Man, Dusty Stevens says no to mining and people don't understand the Sacred Laws of Jones creek.
We go to a press where the Minister for Indigenous affairs, Judith Watson and the Managing Director of Dominion mining, Peter Walker state that the nickel mine at Yakabindie has been given approval after considering the reports from both anthropologists. In the press conference both Judith Watson and Peter Walker make mistakes in their statements after questions are asked about the protection of sacred sites. Peter Walker admits that there are 2 sacred sites in Jones creek but are of little significance to Indigenous people.
The Yakabindie nickel mine went ahead and Jones creek was dug up, but several years later Dominion mining went broke, as it collapsed and was delisted in Western Australia.
Rottnest Island became a part of history how Europeans settled Australia through imprisoning Indigenous Australians in the last 200 years.
Rottnest Island is a tourist island off the coast of the state of Western Australia where Australians go to relax at the beach, go swimming and scuba diving but it's only recently been discovered as a prison where Indigenous Australians' were locked up and also many lost their lives and were buried in a mass grave.
In the 1970's while laying pipes for a sewerage system, George Pergament talks of how skeletons were falling in on his workmen. But the discovery of these human bones were covered up and never talked about again.
In the 1990's there was a push by certain people to get the mass grave confirmed and protected under the heritage act of Western Australian state law. Thus researcher Paul Alladyce investigated and confirmed the mass grave by a number of methods. He also spoke to an old man in his early 90's, Jack O'Donahue who saw bodies being thrown into a mass grave as a young boy, as his father was one of the Wardens of the Rottnest Island Prison.
The state government of Western Australia approved of a Ground Probing Radar to confirm that the soil deep down had been disturbed confirming that the ground had been dug up many years ago. The ground probing radar had confirmed that there was a mass grave of over 300 bodies of Indigenous Australian's.
The Premier of the State of Western Australia made a speech how the Rottnest island grave needed to be protected. It was fenced off, with a road and holiday houses removed. The Mass Grave was also on a place called 'Tent Land' where thousands of tourists had slept in tents on top of the mass grave for many years without people knowing. Tent land was also fenced off.
The Quadrangle (the old prison) was known as the quad, was a place where over 3000 men were imprisoned and hundreds had died. The wardens were quite brutal where Indigenous men were hung in the middle of the quad in front of other men. Many died of over cramped damp conditions of many diseases and buried in the mass grave.
People called for the Quad to be turned into a museum of history but sadly the quad was turned into a hotel against people's wishes cause there was too much money involved in tourism. So now you have tourists who now sleep in rooms which used to be prison cells where many men died.
Australia is a proud country full of proud people, but exactly what are we proud of? Comedian and history buff Ben Pobjie delves deep into Australia's past and has a good old rummage amongst the nation's personal effects. With wit, perspicacity and a healthily elastic attitude to historical accuracy, the great saga of Australia is unravelled like an old woolly jumper. For anyone who snoozed through history class at school, this is the book to get you all caught up.
Cal Flyn was very proud when she discovered that her ancestor, Angus McMillan, had been a pioneer of colonial Australia. However, when she dug deeper, she began to question her pride. McMillan had not only cut tracks through the bush, but played a dark role in Australia's bloody history.
In 1837 Angus McMillan left the Scottish Highlands for the other side of the world. Cutting paths through the Australian frontier, he became a feted pioneer, to be forever mythologised in status and landmarks. He was also Cal Flyn's great-great-great-uncle. Inspired by his fame, Flyn followed in his footsteps to Australia, where she would face horrifying family secrets.
Blending memoir, history and travel,Thicker Than Water' evokes the startlingly beautiful wilderness of the Highlands, the desolate bush of Victoria and the reverberations on one from the other. A tale of blood and bloodlines, it is a powerful, personal journey into dark family history, grief and guilt.
Auckland Island is a godforsaken place in the middle of the Southern Ocean, 285 miles south of New Zealand. With year-round freezing rain and howling winds, it is one of the most forbidding places in the world. To be shipwrecked there means almost certain death. In 1864 Captain Thomas Musgrave and his crew of four aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the southern end of the island. Utterly alone in a dense coastal forest, plagued by stinging blowflies and relentless rain, Captain Musgrave inspires his men to take action. With barely more than their bare hands, they build a cabin and, remarkably, a forge, where they manufacture their tools. Incredibly, at the same time on the opposite end of the island, the Invercauld wrecks during a horrible storm. Nineteen men stagger ashore. Unlike Captain Musgrave, the captain of the Invercauld falls apart given the same dismal circumstances. His men fight and split up; some die of starvation, others turn to cannibalism. Only three survive. Musgrave and all of his men not only endure for nearly two years, they also plan their own astonishing escape, setting off on one of the most courageous sea voyages in history.
On 7 February 2009 Roger Wood was the police officer in charge of Kinglake, at the epicentre of the worst ever bushfire disaster in Australia's history, Black Saturday. As the firestorm engulfed the community, he risked his life, again and again, to try and save people. When he phoned home to warn his wife what was coming, she screamed that the fire had already hit their property. Then the line went dead. This is a book about the monster - and the fear, grief, desolation and heroism of those who confronted it.
One American soldier called it "a green hell on earth." Monsoon-soaked wilderness, debilitating heat, impassable mountains, torrential rivers, and disease-infested swamps-New Guinea was a battleground far more deadly than the most fanatical of enemy troops. Japanese forces numbering some 600,000 men began landing in January 1942, determined to seize the island as a cornerstone of the Empire's strategy to knock Australia out of the war. Allied commander-in-chief General Douglas MacArthur committed 340,000 Americans, as well as tens of thousands of Australian, Dutch, and New Guinean troops, to retake New Guinea at all costs. In this gripping narrative, historian James P. Duffy chronicles the most ruthless combat of the Pacific War, a fight complicated by rampant tropical disease, violent rainstorms, and unforgiving terrain that punished both Axis and Allied forces alike. Drawing on primary sources, War at the End of the World fills in a crucial gap in the history of World War II while offering listeners a narrative of the first rank.
