Looking for books set in Australia? Click play above to hear us discuss five books we love set in Australia: a Gothic coming-of-age story, an outback murder mystery, a biography of the platypus, an unusual memoir, and a dream-like crime classic — plus, the Sydney Opera House, man vs. emu, and two beautiful libraries.
Australia has a well-deserved reputation for being larger than life. It’s the only country in the world that covers an entire continent, and it’s home to hundreds of thousands of native animals and plants. (We’re looking at you, platypuses and koalas!)
The snapshots of Australia in your imagination (perhaps from watching the ’80s movie Crocodile Dundee at an impressionable age)? They’re pretty accurate. Sparkly beaches, surfers, and snorkeling. Red rocks and scrubby brush. The Sydney Opera House. Jeeps in the Outback. And yes, many Australians do say ‘G’day mate.’ (Though not ‘throw a shrimp on the barbie.’)
Australia is home to two libraries on the list of the world’s ten most beautiful, in Melbourne and Adelaide. But if you really want to get to know the land down under, head outside. There are 516 national parks, excursions led by Aboriginal guides, rainforest and desert, plus 22,000 miles of coastline for all manner of splashing.
In this episode of Strong Sense of Place, we talk about the magic of we learn the true story of a war fought against an animal opponent and meet the architect of the Sydney Opera House. We daydream about traversing the continent in style aboard the glamorous Ghan Luxury Train. Then we recommend five books that took us to Australia on the page:
The White Earth by Andrew McGahan — a coming-of-age story and family saga wrapped in the trappings of a Gothic novel
The Dry by Jane Harper — a wildly popular murder mystery with a very strong sense of the Outback
Platypus Matters by Jack Ashby — an engaging blend of memoir and personal observations, zoological facts, and opinionated commentary on the state of science and very, very cute animals
Question 7 by Richard Flanagan — beautifully written and hard to categorize, it’s memoir mixed with fictional literary bits and a touch of philosophy
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay — a gripping modern classic with a true-crime vibe, set at the real-life, mystical Hanging Rock
If our Australia episode has you seeking more about Oceania, we’ve also got episodes on Tasmania, New Zealand, and Hawaii. Plus, recipes for meat pies and fairy bread, 14 Irresistible Reasons You Should Visit the Island of Tasmania, and 11 Cool Facts You Need to Know about Ngaio Marsh, the Kiwi ‘Queen of Crime.’
Read the full transcript of Australia: Just Smile and Give Me a Vegemite Sandwich.
Perhaps you’d like to listen to some soothing music while you dig into these links.
And some photos to set the scene…
Aussie Slang
Things to Do
Indigenous People in Australia
Libraries
Animals
Icebergs Swimming Pool
Aboriginal Experiences
The Ghan Luxury Train
Statement 2: For a long time, it was assumed the world’s oldest verifiable stories were Greek. They’re not. They’re Aboriginal Australian stories. From the Australian Geographer: Aboriginal Memories of Inundation of the Australian Coast; Ancient Aboriginal Stories Preserve History of a Rise in Sea Level; Ancient Sea Rise Tale Told Accurately for 10,000 Years.
Statement 3: The architect of the Sydney Opera House died in 2008, never having seen the finished building in person. Sydney Opera House; The Pritzker Architecture Prize.
The White Earth by Andrew McGahan
Then…
Now…
The Dry by Jane Harper
Platypus Matters by Jack Ashby
Question 7 by Richard Flanagan
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
A Weekend Exploring the Hidden Gems Surrounding Hanging Rock
Here is just a very, very small sampling of the many wonderful musicians who’ve come out of Australia.
Xavier Rudd – “Follow the Sun”. A one-man band of guitar, didgeridoo, and stomp box, Xavier Rudd makes music that sounds like it was recorded on a beach at golden hour. “Follow the Sun” is his gentle, hummable case for slowing down.
Yothu Yindi - “World Turning”. The traditional Yolngu song comes into rock and pop, and in doing so put Aboriginal music on the mainstream Australian stage. Led by the late Mandawuy Yunupingu — Australian of the Year in 1992 — they’re proof that the world’s oldest living culture is also very current.
Tom Chick - “Down Under”, stripped down and homemade. This is the song that I imagine plays in every Australian’s head the moment they leave the country. (Keep going for the original.)
Midnight Oil - “Beds are Burning.” A stadium protest song that asks, flatly, how we can dance while the earth is turning — a demand to return Indigenous land to its traditional owners. Frontman Peter Garrett went on to become an actual federal government minister, which tells you how seriously Australia takes its rock stars.
AC/DC (acadaca!) - “Highway to Hell” (live at River Plate). This is “Highway to Hell” live in Buenos Aires, a packed stadium of Argentines roaring every word back — a reminder that Australia’s biggest cultural export might just be very loud guitars.
Paul Kelly - “How To Make Gravy.” Paul Kelly is the great storyteller of Australian song, and this is his quiet masterpiece: a letter set to music, from a man in prison to his brother, three days before Christmas. It’s about gravy the way Casablanca is about a bar. Australians now mark December 21 as “Gravy Day.”
James Morrison - “Waltzing Matilda.” One of the great jazz men of Oz, here he is out on the water with Australia’s second national anthem — the ballad “Waltzing Matilda.” A gorgeous, brassy full stop for the list.
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