Best of
Australia

1996

Tears of the Moon


Di Morrissey - 1996
    Tears of the Moon is the thrilling and dramatic story of an endless love that overcomes all odds.Lily Barton's most prized possession is a beautiful tear-drop pearl pendant. Alone in the world, she has no idea where it came from or why she has it. But she is desperate to learn more of her forgotten past, to find her identity and claim her legacy, whatever it might be. Seeking everwhere for answers, she discovers her great-grandmother Olivia's diary. Across the years it reaches out to her, revealing the truth behind a love that is so profound, so passionate and so complete, that nothing can destroy the power of its magic.

Still Waters


Judith Saxton - 1996
     As she grows up, Tess slowly starts to put together the pieces herself. But the outbreak of war brings tragedy and upheaval, changing Tess's priorities. Mal Chandler has travelled the length and breadth of Australia with his feckless father and weary mother. Now, the war brings Mal to England as a pilot for the RAF - and into Tess's world.

Kal


Judy Nunn - 1996
    It grew out of the red dust of the desert over the world's richest vein of gold. Like the gold it guarded, Kalgoorlie was a magnet to anyone with a sense of adventure, anyone who could dream. People were drawn there from all over the world, settling to start afresh or to seek their fortunes. They called it Kal; it was a place where dreams came true or were lost forever in the dust. It could reward you or it could destroy you, but it would never let you go. You staked you claim in Kal and Kal staked its claim in you. In a story as breathtaking and as sweeping as the land itself, bestselling author Judy Nunn brings Kal magically to life through the lives of two families, one Australian and one Italian. The Australian family are the Brearleys: Maudie, who runs the miners' pub in Kalgoorlie and who was brought up in a tent on the goldfields; her husband 'Flash Harry' Brearley, charismatic conman and shyster; and his young son, Jack. The Italian family are the Giannis, railway workers from a small village in the Italian Alps, who dream of making a better life for themselves 'at the bottom of the world' after they hear about the Western Australian goldrush of the late 1880s. Rico, the elder brother, is a larger-than-life bull of a man, very protective of his sensitive younger brother Giovanni, a handsome dreamer. When the rich and frustrated widow Serena di Cretico spies Giovanni, she pursues him relentlessly, and they begin having an affair. Giovanni is terrified of her powerful landowner brothers-in-law, and tries to end the relationship, but she tells him if he attempts to do so, she will tell them he raped her. Rico and Giovanni decide they must leave as soon as they can, as the de Cretico brothers are bound to hear about the affair and come after Giovanni. Before their plans can be carried out, the brothers strike, killing Serena and storming the miners' camp in search of Giovanni, who is actually down in the village. Believing Rico to be Giovanni, they break both his knees with iron bars. Rico takes Giovanni's terrible punishment in silence, and is crippled for life. Guilt-stricken, Giovanni is persuaded by Rico to take their savings and sail to Western Australia to prepare the way for Rico and his family.Gio works like a dog for several years and is evenually joined by Rico, his wife Teresa and their young family. Rico is severely crippled, with an awkward swinging gait and has become terribly bitter and defensive about his disability. His aggression often leads to violence, particularly in Kalgoorlie, where the Australian population resents the invasion of 'dago' miners who are prepared to work longer hours for less pay and are taking all the jobs. Rico and Giovanni go into partnership with Harry Brearley, who owns a mine called the Clover, where the brothers work hard and start making a go of things. Then out of the blue they hear that Harry has sold their mine. He had led them to believe they were equal partners with him, but because neither could read, the actual contract was for them to be working partners with Harry for as long as he kept the mine. The brothers feel betrayed and murderous, and a terrible vendetta is started between the Brearleys and the Giannis that is not resolved until years later when Harry's son Jack and Rico's son Enrico find themselves fighting alongside each other at Gallipoli. After experiencing the trauma of war, the two resolve to end the vendetta if they ever return to Kal. Only one does, but he returns to Kal at the end of World War I to find a town riven by racism and rioting. The climax of Kal is extraordinarily moving and vivid, and will stay with readers forever. Apart from telling the story of the two families over two generations, Kal is also a moving love story and a page-turning action adventure novel. From the heady, early days of the gold rush to the horrors of the First World War in Gallipoli and France, to the shame and confrontation of the post-war riots

True Stories: Selected Non Fiction


Helen Garner - 1996
    Her nonfiction, with its many voices, is always passionate and compelling. True Stories is an extraordinary book, spanning twenty-five years of work, by one of Australia's great writers.

Short Notes from the Long History of Happiness


Michael Leunig - 1996
    Book by Leunig, Michael

Strandloper


Alan Garner - 1996
    The Clashing Rock.The Hard Darkness."It hangs above the grave mound.I sing, dreaming...William Buckley was transported to Australia in 1801. He escaped and lived as an Aborigine for thirty-one years. In this visionary novel, Alan Garner is true to William the Cheshire bricklayer and William the Aboriginal spiritual leader, as William is true to his fate. The result is extraordinary.

Coping With Grief


Mal McKissock - 1996
    It reassures people that their responses which may seem frightening and painful are an integral part of this difficult time but can become manageable with compassionate support and the right information. This valuable aid helps the grieving understand their emotions and enables friends and family to offer support and comfort where and when it is most needed.

Tracks, Scats and Other Traces: A Field Guide to Australian Mammals


Barbara Triggs - 1996
    It is divided into four forms of classification: drawings of 'perfect' tracks matched with photographs of the same tracks in sand or mud; color illustrations depicting scats of 128 species of mammals--with a distribution maps and habitat information--along with pellets and scats of birds, reptiles and invertebrates; detailed descriptions and over 70 color photographs of the distinctive traces of mammals at shelters and feeding sites; and 40 full page plates of skulls, lower jaws, humeri and femurs covering the more commonly found species, plus a detailed guide covering all mammal groups. Naturalists are becoming increasingly aware of the value of the indirect methods of finding and identifying mammals. This handbook of detection will be an essential companion to be kept in the pocket, backpack or car for constant ready reference.

The Best Of Banjo Patterson: An Illustrated Collection


A.B. Paterson - 1996
    It contains poems such as Waltzing Matilda, the favourite The Man from Snowy River, as well as In the Droving Days, A Bush Christening and Saltbush Bill.

Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia: A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen


Kuiter - 1996
    It provides a view of the diversity of sea fish life along the Australian coastline.

George Johnston: A Biography


Garry Kinnane - 1996
    He was a complex character, dogged by feelings of mediocrity, betrayal and failure that he ultimately transformed though the writing of his brilliant trilogy. In this award-winning biography, Garry Kinnane examines the process by which Johnston selected people, places and events for this creative transformation. In doing so, he reveals the reality that lay behind the glamorous outer facade of the life of Johnston and his wife, the writer Charmian Clift.

High Valley


Colin Thiele - 1996
    The soil in the valley is rich, the rainfall heavy, the climate warm, the farms and gardens green and fruitful, the people contented ... until the arrival of two strangers changes their lives forever ...

Life With Gough


Barry Cohen - 1996
    

Australia: A Continent Revealed


Neil Hermes - 1996
    The text and photographs in this book set out to uncover and impart the flavour of Australia, through an exploration of its peoples, landscapes and fauna.

Convict Maids: The Forced Migration of Women to Australia


Deborah Oxley - 1996
    Deborah Oxley refutes the notion that these women were prostitutes and criminals, arguing that in fact they helped put the colony on its feet. Analyzing their backgrounds, Oxley finds that they were skilled, literate, young and healthy--qualities exploited by the new colony. Convict Maids draws on historical, economic and feminist theory, and is impressive for its extensive and original research.

The Island in the Mind


Rodney Hall - 1996
    Through the lives of three individuals, the island of the mind plunges the reader into a world of court intrigue, and religious upheavals, bloodshed and sexual politics, empire, voyages, exotic discoveries and the new art form of the time - opera.

Code of Deception


Ted Ottley - 1996
    The plot combines many popular elements, such as video games, computers, and the Internet. Young Adult.

Waitangi Nights


Alice Gaines - 1996
    Original.

Science Around the World: Travel Through Time and Space with Fun Experiments and Projects


Shar Levine - 1996
    . .Build a simple machine like the ancient Egyptians might have usedto build the pyramids. Construct your own rocket thrusters tosimulate those used by U.S. astronauts. Make your own paper using a2,000-year-old recipe from China.These are just some of the exciting projects you'll find in Sciencearound the World, a fun and fact-filled book of experiments andactivities highlighting scientific discoveries from throughouthistory that shaped the way we live. Travel from England toAustralia, Germany to Japan, Mexico to Canada, as you explore someof history's most famous moments in physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and more. Each experiment includes a list of requiredmaterials, illustrations, and easy-to-follow, step-by-stepinstructions.

Orlando's Sleep: An Autobiography of Gender


Jennifer Spry - 1996
    As a child Spry cherished the moments when he was left alone at home so he could dress up in his mother's clothes; in adolescence he tried hard to prove his manhood by competitive sailing and heavy drinking. When even marriage and fatherhood failed to make a man of him, John began the long journey towards recognition of herself as Jennifer, a woman and a lesbian. A profoundly personal yet provocatively political discussion of courage, gender, sexuality, and transformation.

Freeze a Crowd


Paul Jennings - 1996
    From the trio that bought you Spooner or Later and Duck for Cover, here is a book that will have you pulling hair, spitting chips and hanging out for more.