Books to read if you’re going to Australia

Isolated and a world away, Australia is a unique country and, truly, a land of adventure. The landscape, wildness and spirit of the place have inspired many a ripper of a yarn (Australian for ‘good story’). Whether you are looking for outback adventure, books set in penal colonies, stories about Australia’s gold rush or are interested in Australia’s more recent history or an Aboriginal perspective, you will have plenty to read. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favourites.

Fiction

The Secret River / The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville

Set during the British colonial period, The Secret River is an atmospheric tale of an English man convicted of theft and transported, with his wife, to the New South Wales penal colony. It is a haunting exploration of the experiences of early settlers in Australia, and their encounters with Indigenous people. The Lieutenant is another novel by the same author that focuses on Australia’s convict history, this time following the experiences of a rather solitary astronomer that lands with the First Fleet and comes to know the Aboriginal people.

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

This story is a portrait of life in Australia’s penal colonies but focuses especially on the experiences of three women. Two characters are transported from England, and one is an orphaned indigenous girl adopted by the new Governor. The book shares that period’s suppression of women, racism, the gritty hardships of the creation of a new society but also highlights the freedoms the new start offered.

A Fortunate Life by A. J. Facey

This inspiring and heart-warming authentic Aussie yarn shares the life story of a young boy born into poverty and takes place largely in Western Australia’s Goldfields region. You can’t help but warm to the protagonist who, despite early struggles to even have enough to eat, surviving Gallipoli, existing through the crushing Depression and the heartbreak of World War II, believed he had a fortunate life.

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

If you’re looking for a taste of Australian outback living, beautiful depictions of this unique environment, endearing characters, a complicated love story and an epic family saga covering three generations, The Thorn Birds is it! The story follows the trials and adventures of a family that emigrates from New Zealand to manage an Australian sheep farm in outback New South Wales, as well as a forbidden love between the daughter and the family priest. Part of the story takes place in Queensland too, emphasising the vastness and differences between parts of Australia. The book is one of Australia’s highest selling novels.

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

This heart-breaking story centres around a bad decision taken by good people. Having returned from WWI and taken up a post as a lighthouse keeper off Australia’s isolated south west coast, world-weary Tom and his wife then battle infertility. Finding a baby in a lifeboat and deciding to secretly keep it as their own leads to devastating consequences.

A Town like Alice by Nevil Shute

While on a brutal death march around Malaya during WWII an English woman meets a charming and resourceful Australian and, after the war, seeks him out leading her to a desolate town in outback Queensland, and a whole new challenge. This very engaging story, told in a gently humorous style, showcases the spirit of rural Australia and offers a window into the seemingly endless difficulties faced there, especially by women, at that time.

Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

A treasured tale among Aussies, Cloudstreet follows the lives of two working class families living in a ramshackle old house in Perth, Western Australia over 20 years. The members of the families, the Lambs and the Pickles (yes, there is a thread of humour throughout the story), prove to be true Aussie battlers as they share experiences and adventures over the years. The book also gives an insight into life in post-war Perth.

Monkey Grip by Helen Garner

This book transports readers to 1970s bohemian Melbourne – you can almost feel the heat of the urban poolside sizzling! It tells the emotional story of a single mother living in shared housing in the city, and her turbulent relationship with a heroin addict, touching on the destructive elements of obsession and love. It is superbly written but, clearly, deals with tough themes.

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

Set in Victoria in 1900, a girls’ boarding school picnic goes horribly wrong and results in the mysterious disappearance of several girls. The book explores the subsequent impact on their school and community and has long divided Australians on the unresolved outcome.

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

This coming-of-age story, set in the working-class suburbs of 1990s Brisbane, follows Eli on his journey to be a good man. It’s harder than it sounds when he’s surrounded by drugs, crime and violence. His adventures are told in a truly Aussie voice and the story also depicts friendship and optimism.

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

Set in Sydney, this story examines the repercussions in the lives of guests at a barbecue who witness a man slap a boy that is not his child. Told from their various perspectives, the story focuses on a small circle of modern society, sharing insights into the lives and flaws of the various characters.

Carpentaria by Alexis Wright

Combining Dreamtime with the harsh realities of life as an Aboriginal in the Gulf Carpentaria, this important book highlights the historical but ongoing issue of native title in Australia. Full of curious characters and Australianisms, the book immerses the reader in the lives of two feuding Aboriginal families, white men and the imposition of the mining industry.

The White Girl by Tony Birch

This story centres on a situation created by the Australian government’s policy of separating indigenous children from their families, known as Australia’s ‘Stolen Generation’. It explores the lengths grandmother Odette has to go to in order to protect her pale-skinned granddaughter, and unravels the mystery of why the girl’s mother left.

The Yield by Tara Winch

When August Gondiwindi returns to her home town for her grandfather’s funeral, she discovers that the town is being repossessed by a mining company, and that her grandfather was writing a dictionary of the Wiradjuri language, one that she cannot find. The story highlights the dispossession of Aboriginal people, and the need to protect native languages. It also celebrates storytelling, culture and identity.

Non Fiction

Rabbit-proof fence by Doris Pilkington

Following Australia’s forced segregation and incarceration of black Aboriginal children and the children of mixed marriages, three girls escaped on foot and followed the 1,000+ mile rabbit-proof fence to get home. This is a true story told by the daughter of one of those daring girls and shames the repressive and racist White Australia policy.

Australia Day by Stan Grant

For a thought-provoking deep dive exploring racism in Australia and the history and identity of Australians, this reflection from Stan Grant, who has both white convict and Aboriginal ancestry, is a must read. While the book reflects on past transgressions and reconciliation, it also shares optimism about the future.

Dark Emu

Dark Emu challenges Australia’s historic understanding of indigenous people and cultures, notably the ‘hunter gatherer’ label applied by colonial settlers to Aboriginal Australians. It interprets the records and diaries of early Australian explorers to evidence the connection indigenous people had to their land, and refute the notion of terra nullius.

Tracks by Robyn Davidson

Do you ever just want to be alone? Robyn Davis took that feeling to an extreme when she trekked 1,700km from Alice Springs to the west coast of Australia with a team of camels and her dog. This outback adventure is her memoir of that quirky mission.

Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales

In this book Australian journalist Leigh Sales shares her experiences of meeting people experiencing the worst moments of their lives. The tenderly told stories highlight some recent (awful) news stories from Australia, but also the incredible fortitude shown by the individuals that experienced these unimaginable situations.

Foreign Correspondence by Geraldine Brooks

Geraldine Brooks shares an intimate and moving memoir about growing up feeling isolated in working class Australia and fostering pen pal relationships with others to explore a world larger than her own. Twenty years later, the author sought out her pen pals and learned how their lives turned out.

The Land Before Avocado by Richard Glover

Examining both the hilarious and alarming experiences of growing up in Australia during the 1960s and 1970s, The Land Before Avocado shares the author’s memories, weird and wonderful, of an Australia that seems unrecognisable today. This book showcases how much and how fast Australia has changed over recent decades. 

The Family Law by Benjamin Law

Humorous recollections of family life abound in this charming telling of growing up in Queensland as part of a family of immigrants. The son of Chinese migrants to Australia, Benjamin Law tells absurd and laugh-out-loud stories from his childhood, and reflects on finding your place in the world.

Do you have a favourite book about or set in Australia that you feel should be on this list? Let me know!