Australia Twice Traversed: The Romance of Exploration
by Ernest Giles
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Description
Ernest Powell Giles (1835-97) is best remembered as one of the first explorers of South Australia. Powell emigrated to Australia with his parents in 1850, settling in Adelaide. From 1861 he was leading small-scale expeditions along the Darling River, searching for land suitable for cultivation. Following the completion of the Overland Telegraph Line between Adelaide and Darwin in 1872, Powell embarked on five expeditions attempting to discover an overland route between Adelaide and Perth. show more These volumes, first published in 1889, provide a detailed and dramatic account of his discoveries. Based on Powell's personal journals, these volumes describe in vivid detail the hardships and dangers of exploration in Australia in the nineteenth century, while providing an evocative description of the South Australian landscape before colonisation. Volume 2 deals with Powell's expeditions in 1874 and 1875, including his discovery of the Great Victoria Desert and his return journey. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Not for everyone, but a really absorbing story of Australia's early explorers. Giles gave his all to "discovering" the wilderness of Australia, and never really got truly rewarded for his troubles. 130+ years on, his writings capture a time of opportunity and longing, of man's desire for open space and discovery, and also for the bonds that form between old and young, white and black, despite social pressures. It's not perfect, and nor was Giles, but it's another important text in the country's development.
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Lists
Australia's Greatest Books, as chosen by Geoffrey Dutton (1985)
97 works; 6 members
Author Information
5 Works 46 Members
Awards and Honors
Notable Lists
Australia's Greatest Books (1889)
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Australia Twice Traversed: The Romance of Exploration
- Original publication date
- 1889
- Important places
- Australia; South Australia, Australia; Western Australia, Australia
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History, Travel, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 919.4 — History & geography Geography & travel Geography of and travel in Australasia, Pacific Ocean islands, Atlantic Ocean islands, Arctic islands, Antarctica and on extraterrestrial worlds Australia
- LCC
- DU102 .G5 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Oceania (South Seas) History of Oceania (South Seas) Australia
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 37
- Popularity
- 782,354
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.00)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 16
- ASINs
- 4
