It was the man from Ironbark who struck the Sydney town, He wandered over street and park, he wandered up and down. He loitered here, he loitered there, till he was like to drop, Until at last in sheer despair… Read More ›
australian
The Suspected Wharfie
There was a certain wharfie on the Melbourne waterfront who was suspected of stealing. Each day he left the wharf where he worked, pushing a wheelbarrow filled with straw. So a police detective was detailed to watch him. The detective… Read More ›
Diggers of Two Wars
On a footpath in Tel Aviv one day in October, 1942, an old English colonel and a young American major were discussing the war situation in general when they were approached by four youthful Aussie soldiers who had been imbibing… Read More ›
Refugee Bigotry
I came across a post on Facebook tonight and it really pissed me off. The post itself annoyed me, but the comments (all in support, of course) really made me cross! I was even more pissed off by the fact… Read More ›
30 Day Book Challenge – Day 30
A Book You Couldn’t Put Down Wow. It seems as though I have made it through to the end. Well, for this final category, I am going to use a trilogy, rather than a single book. You may recall that… Read More ›
30 Day Book Challenge Day 11:
Favourite Classic Book I don’t seem to have read a lot of the classic books that others have, though many are on my wishlist. I think it may be because people often make it their mission to read as many… Read More ›
Scandal
It’s a depressing measure of the scale of the sex abuse scandal engulfing the Catholic Church that news of a priest preying on a child is no longer shocking. —Madison Magazine p53 Related articles Aussie Paper: Pope Quit Over Sex… Read More ›
Hetty Johnstone
What’s your WebStory today?
A practical driver
I’m reminded of a Cobb & Co. driver whom I often met in my childhood days in western Queensland. He was once asked by a lady passenger if he’d ever been caught in a bushfire. ‘Oh yes,’ he said, ‘I… Read More ›
The Tragedy
He grabbed me by my slender neck, I could not call or scream; He took me to his darkened tent Where we could not be seen. He tore from me my flimsy wrap, He gazed upon my form, I was… Read More ›
The Bushman’s Farewell to Queensland
Queensland, thou art a land of pests; Fo flies and fleas one never rests. E’en now mosquitos round me revel — In fact they are the very devil. Sandflies and hornets just as bad — They nearly drive a fellow… Read More ›
The Italian Cocky’s Lament
Me blooda full of da Queensland, Your country verra dry; Me never maka no fortune No matter how me try. Banana getta da buncha top, Tomato getta da blight; Cabbage getta da avis He looka da rotten sight. Grub he… Read More ›
Bloody, Bloody, Bloody (The Great Australian Adjective)
This bloody town’s a bloody cuss, No bloody tram, no bloody bus, And no one cares for bloody us, Oh, bloody bloody bloody! The bloody roads are bloody bad, The bloody folks are bloody mad, They even say — You… Read More ›
A toast
Now Lois likes his native wine, And Otto likes his beer; The Pommy goes for half and half Because it gives him cheer, While Angus likes his whisky neat, And Paddy likes his tot — The Aussie has no drink… Read More ›
The Fat Man in History by Peter Carey
Opening Sentence:Crabs is very neat in everything he does. Synopsis:A landmark in contemporary Australian literature, The Fat Man in History brought early acclaim to Peter Carey for his brilliant and ingenious fiction. These twelve stories introduce visionary landscapes of intense… Read More ›
Pigs Might Fly by Emily Rodda
Opening Sentence:“I wish something would happen!” Synopsis:‘I wish something would happen!’ said Rachel. ‘Something interesting!’ Afterwards, she would remember what she’d said and how she’d felt that rainy Saturday morning, and she would think: ‘That was really the beginning.’ And… Read More ›
Shadow Warrior by David Everett
Opening Sentence:The dog was a German shepherd, about two years old, big and woolly but still goofy like a pup. Synopsis:David Everett – renegade soldier, outlaw, fugitive and, at one time, Australia’s most wanted man – always liked a bit… Read More ›
All You Need to Know to be Australian
The bigger the hat , the smaller the farm. The shorter the nickname, the more they like you. Whether it’s the opening of Parliament, or the launch of a new art gallery, there is no Australian event that cannot be… Read More ›
You Know You’re Australian When…
Shamelessly pinched (with permission) from a friend’s blog: You Know you’re Australian When………… 1. You’re familiar with Neighbours, Home and Away, Playschool, A Country Practice, Norman Gunston, Barry Humphries, Blue Heelers, Ray Martin, Bert Newton, Lisa McCune, Jon Burgess, Number… Read More ›
The Spare Room by Helen Garner
Synopsis:Helen lovingly prepares her spare room for her friend Nicola. She is coming to visit for three weeks, to receive treatment she believes will cure her cancer. From the moment Nicola staggers off the plane, gaunt and hoarse but still… Read More ›
Ash Road by Ivan Southall
Synopsis:To the children living on Ash Road it was a bewildering and fearful day from the very start. First, the unnatural heat of early morning, the searing north wind that played on everyone’s nerves, and the smell of smoke across… Read More ›
The Good, the Bad and the Inevitable by Barbara Holborrow
Synopsis:In this moving and compelling collection of stories, bestselling author Barbara Holborrow tells of the good, the bad and the inevitable outcomes for so many of the kids she saw in her capacity as a children’s magistrate. There are stories… Read More ›
Blythe Spirit by Sandy Blythe
Synopsis:At the age of nineteen Sandy Blythe’s future seemed assured – he had a promising career as an Australian Rules footballer ahead of him, and was studying for a university degree. But his life was suddenly and irrevocably changed when… Read More ›
Orphans of Earth by Sean Williams & Shane Dix
Synopsis:“This is an open broadcast. We are the sole survivors of the human race. Our primary task is to locate those colonies that have survived. We must cooperate in this venture – even if it is to be our last.”… Read More ›
Heirs of Earth by Sean Williams & Shane Dix
Synopsis:Earth has been destroyed, and the natural order of things destroyed with it. What little that remains of humanity is caught between the Spinners and the Starfish, unsure whether to run, hide, fight back. None of the options is particularly… Read More ›
Echoes of Earth by Sean Williams & Shane Dix
Synopsis:In the Early 22nd century, humans have shed their bodies to travel through space. Produced through nanotechnology, their electronic reproductions, known as engrams, have been sent on fact-finding missions throughout the known universe – searching for signs of Alien life…. Read More ›
Bronte’s Story by Bronte Cullis and Steve Bibb
This is a must read for all young girls and anyone with a daughter, sister or niece.
Warning: This book is very raw and emotional and families who have been through this ordeal may find it difficult to read.
Odd One Out by Monica McInerney
This is a hilarious book, quirky and uniquely Australian. Well worth reading.
Dear Miffy by John Marsden
This book started out a little slow, but it turned out to be a good book.
Hating Alison Ashley by Robin Klein
Unbelievably, I managed to live the first thirty years of my life without ever reading this book.
Rafferty's Rules is Closing Down 