The Explorers: Stories of Discovery and Adventure from the Australian Frontier

I only had one problem with this collection of Australian exploration fragments...each snippet of diary or memoir left me wanting more.

This is a well-chosen collection of accounts from diverse viewpoints. I especially liked the rare Aboriginal account, seeing how different in tone they were from the typical European story-telling template.

I always knew the Australian outback was an unforgiving environment, but these accounts brought this home in a more personal way. Likewise, I knew that Aborigines had been treated badly, but was viscerally shocked at one of the few accounts from a woman and her casual description of the abduction of an Aboriginal woman - presumably for a servant. You can't just steal people!

The final account was well show more chosen - the end of an era for several reasons. The book has left me with much to think on and much to explore. show less

A rather curious book. Really a conglomeration of extracts from explorer's (of Australia) journals. I guess one of the things that fascinated me was that parts of Australia were still being "explored" up until 1977. And really significant explorations were still being made up until around 1900. Many of the significant explorations were being made at the time (or after) my own ancestors arrived in Australia in 1839.
Tim Flannery has either selected extracts where there are conflicts/interactions with the local blacks or this was an inevitable and frequent fact of exploration. One thing that comes through the various narratives is that conflict with local aboriginals was not inevitable and in many cases the interactions were civil and even show more friendly. But there were also some very violent interactions where aboriginals were up agains firearms (and men on horseback) with their own wooden spears.
The other constant refrain is the shortage of water and the disastrous consequences of not having access to water. Today, this hardly comes as a surprise but I wonder about the character or foolhardiness of those explorers who set out into an unknown wilderness or desert with the conviction that they would be able to live off the land and find water on the way. As the explorations pushed further inland and into the dry desert areas the importance of aboriginal knowledge about water sources became more obvious and the examples of kidnapping and forcing aboriginals to divulge their water sources seemed to become more frequent.
Flannery makes the wry comment that one of the explorers found one of these water sources (that aboriginals had been caring for for 50,000 years) and proudly named it after himself and was astonished when the aboriginals took umbrage to this interloper who was claiming their water.
Flannery has put together a good selection of writings......... I like his short pity introductions and I especially like the thumbnail maps which indicate where the action was taking place.
I give it threee stars. show less

This is a collection of fascinating accounts written by early European explorers, beginning with the Dutch in 1604 and going through to 1977. It details their early encounters with the Aborigines, when the English gave them presents of tomahawks and handkerchiefs and the Aborigines willingly became their guides and helped them find water on their explorations inland.

There are chilling stories of men becoming weakened in the desert (and sometimes dying) while searching for days on end to find water. Above all, it shows the courage of the early explorers when boldly going into the unknown. It also shows a much darker side of our history, when the relations between the Europeans and Aborigines broke down and they became enemies.

This was a show more very thought-provoking book, and enabled me to better understand Australia's history and the events that brought us to where we are today. Humorous in some parts, scary in others, it overall left me with a sense of admiration and respect for both the original and new inhabitants of this country. show less