Ernestine Hill visited Australia's Northern Territory in the 1940s and her text from those years is still of significant value today. Whether the old characters she met in those days are gone or not (they are not all gone - it's still possible to find some of them out in the mulga), the stories she tells about them and this extraordinary land are still worth reading, perhaps more than ever. The Territory is still off the beaten track (except perhaps for Darwin and Kakadu) and the colour you get from a book written forty or fifty years ago is still vivid and impressive. At the time she wrote it (if memory serves me, she was a journalist working in Sydney or Melbourne, who was taking time off to travel Australia), the outback was still extremely remote and unknown even to most Australians. She was criticised by some of the people she wrote about, as having no idea what the place "was really like" and for being "a Southerner" who knew nothing about the north. Yet I for one, who lived for four years in the Top End, appreciated her text very much and I think we can be extremely happy today that she managed to get it published. It will take you back to a world, much of which is gone forever. Yet if you get the chance to stop a bit in the north, you'll be surprised what you find, and Hill's book might just put you on the trail of discovery.
Ernestine Hill wrote a number of books about northern Australia, one other of which I've read. "Australian Frontier" is her story of a trip around the coast from Perth to Darwin in the 40s and it is also well worth reading. In particular she tells some stories of the pearling days in Broome and Darwin, which are worth having a look at. I just hope books like these won't remain out of print forever.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
