Australia & Oceania Audiobooks | History

Shimmersea: Shimmersea - What Ever Happened to Miss New Zealand 1949?

"Mary Woodward, well-known West Auckland author of The Bethells of Te Henga, The Scent of Rosewater, Landscape of My Heart, The Piha Story, has now completed her memoir, Shimmersea. This limited edition is both compelling social history and a remarkable life story. Many New Zealanders will have similar memories of childhood holidays and wild adventures at the beach- in her case on the West Coast of Auckland. As a cash-strapped student recruited by the local Lions Club and lured by prize money of two hundred pounds, she ended up becoming Miss New Zealand 1949 - to her astonishment. She describes herself as 'short and with few pretensions to glamour'. Back then she was able to avoid those humiliating swimsuit episodes now associated with such events and was clearly chosen for her potential as an ambassador for New Zealand. Reading her descriptions of travelling to post-war Britain, we understand why she was the perfect choice. She was a breath of fresh air in gloomy times, intelligent, curious about the world, radiating charm and without pretension. They loved her. Shes so natural proclaimed the British media. But natural charm was no protection for later tragedies in her life, beautifully told yet inherently distressing. Her struggle to make sense of these terrible times, which enabled her to 'come to a place of acceptance of myself and my life, without bitterness or regret' is what makes this book truly remarkable."

Mary D. Woodward (Author), Sylvia Rands (Narrator)

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Australia's Greatest Escapes: Gripping tales of wartime bravery

"Australia's greatest escape stories from two world wars Australia's Greatest Escapes is a collection of stories about the most hazardous aspect of the prisoner of war experience - escape. Here is all the adventure, suspense and courage of ordinary Australians who defied their captors; men who tunnelled to freedom, crawled through stinking drains, or clawed a passage beneath barbed wire in a desperate attempt to flee captivity. They were willing to risk the odds and even death in the loneliest war of all - the fight to be free. Each possessed in spades the noble qualities of boldness, resourcefulness, cunning, determination and mateship we have come to admire about our Australian service men and women under adversity. Featuring stories of Australian POWs from all theatres of war, including one who fled a German work camp during World War I, another involved in a mass tunnel escape from a notorious Italian camp, and an airman who brazenly attempted to steal a German fighter and fly it back to England. We also re-live the tragic saga of the Sandakan death marches in which six Australian escapers became the only survivors from 2000 POWs, and follow the perilous journeys to freedom undertaken by Australian infantrymen following the appalling massacre of their fellow soldiers on the Japanese-held island of Ambon. "

Colin Burgess (Author), Steve Shanahan (Narrator)

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The Eureka Rebellion: The History and Legacy of the Gold Miners’ Uprising against the British in Aus

"Although Australia was actually colonized by the forced dispossession of the indigenous Aboriginals, the Commonwealth of Australia came about by the free federation of six self-governing British colonies in 1901, which makes it one of just a handful of nations that can proudly claim this.[1] Thus, Australia is often imagined as a nation untouched by the pains that have accompanied the births of most other nations. While it is certainly true that the founding fathers of the Australian federation discussed the future of their nation without the fear of war, it is equally true that Australia’s history was shaped by violence. Along with the forced dispossession of indigenous populations across the continent, there were occasional uprisings among the transported convict population in early colonial times, notably the Castle Hill Convict Rebellion of 1804. In that conflict, 233 Irish convicts faced 97 British soldiers, resulting in the deaths of 15 prisoners. Then there was the so-called Rum Rebellion in 1808, when the New South Wales Corps led by Major George Johnston and the pastoralist John Macarthur deposed the Governor of New South Wales, William Bligh. This event was notable in being the only successful seizure of political power by force of arms in the history of colonial Australia.[2] To the list of politically violent deeds, many historians and commentators add the acts of some bushrangers, notably Ned Kelly (1854–1880), who is often regarded as a political revolutionary.[3] In the relatively short history of colonial Australia, one event stands apart, both for its revolutionary spirit and its impact: the Eureka Rebellion of December 3, 1854. This was the only time in Australian history when a government was resisted by free subjects of the Crown in a violent conflict. It only took place in one colony, Victoria, but it was an important event in the evolution of the democratic government in Australia as a whole."

Charles River Editors (Author), Gregory T. Luzitano (Narrator)

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Captain Cook’s Epic Voyage

"In 1768 Captain James Cook and his crew set out on a small British naval vessel in search of a missing continent. 2020 marks the 250th anniversary of that voyage, and Cook's 'discovery' of Australia. Captain Cook's Epic Voyage reveals the hardships and adventure of this remarkable quest, and the euphoria of discovering new lands. Drawing from his previous book, Sea of Dangers, in Captain Cook's Epic Voyage Professor Geoffrey Blainey takes readers once again on a vivid journey through history, challenging accepted views and the intersection of myth, science and exploration."

Geoffrey Blainey (Author), John Gregg (Narrator)

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Crumpy's Campfire Companion - Volume 3: Collected Short Stories 17 -24

Barry Crump (Author), Martin Crump (Narrator)

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Crumpy's Campfire Companion: 32 Classic New Zealand Short Stories

"Crumpy's Campfire Companion is the entertaining third part of a trilogy on The Life and Times of a Good Keen Man. In this collection of yarns, the river, the road, the ridge and the rogue all come alive in Crump's unique humorous style. The yarns reveal his understanding and compassion for the characters and life he writes about. Barry Crump has been New Zealand's bestselling author for more than 30 years. Crumpy's Campfire Companion will delight dedicated fans and new generations of readers alike. Short Stories Include 1.The Duggan brothers -- 2. The black boar -- 3. The real thing -- 4. The post -- 5. Hard yakker -- 6. Shiraz -- 7. Never seen anything like it -- 8. A new shotgun -- 9. The mighty Motu -- 10. Close shaves -- 11. Too much of a good thing -- 12. Streak's pub -- 13. Cutie-pie -- 14. Harry -- 15. By the seat of our pants -- 16. Not cut out for it -- 17. Not cricket -- 18. Boots -- 19. State Highway Six -- 20. A lot of bull -- 21. Bush happy -- 22. d lib -- 23. A long haul -- 24. Black man's logic -- 25. On the cutting room floor -- 26. Beyond repair -- 27. Four-wheel drive -- 28. The wrong joke -- 29. The dog bloke -- 30. A soft touch -- 31. No trouble -- 32. On fire."

Barry Crump (Author), Martin Crump (Narrator)

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Crumpy's Campfire Companion - Volume 4: Collected Short Stories 25 - 32

Barry Crump (Author), Martin Crump (Narrator)

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Crumpy's Campfire Companion - Volume 2: Collected Short Stories 9 - 16

Barry Crump (Author), Martin Crump (Narrator)

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The Dodo: The History and Legacy of the Extinct Flightless Bird

"“The Dodo never had a chance. He seems to have been invented for the sole purpose of becoming extinct and that was all he was good for.” – Willy Cuppy, 19th century American humorist and literary critic At one point or another, just about everyone has heard of the dodo bird, which is almost universally described as a cuddly, whimsical creature renowned for its alleged stupidity. This prehistoric avian had been known for hundreds of years before it was made popular around the world in Lewis Carroll’s 1865 classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The character, the Dodo, satirized the author himself - according to pop culture lore, Carroll, whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, regarded the dodo as his spirit animal due to his alleged stutter, which led to him often presenting himself as “Do-do-dodgson.” Carroll was also a frequent patron of the Oxford Museum of Natural History, which served as a fount of inspiration for his memorable anthropomorphic characters. The 1951 Disney animation, Alice in Wonderland, breathed new life into Carroll's Dodo, portrayed as a plump, peach-faced creature with a bulbous pink beak, clad in a purple waistcoat, a powdered wig, and a pipe dangling out of his beak. Like its real-life counterparts, the Dodo was depicted as a flightless bird who crossed paths with Alice, bobbing along inside of a bottle upon the open sea. Owing to its inability to fly, the Dodo uses an upside-down toucan as his boat, and the Dodo is being maneuvered by a green hawk furiously flapping its wings, serving as the boat's propeller. The dimwitted, carefree dodo also made various appearances in film and TV shows over the years, such as Yoyo Dodo in the 1938 black-and-white animation Porky in Wackyland, the short-lived stop-motion animated series Rocky and the Dodos, and the 2002 animated film Ice Age, which depicts the dodos as a silly, clumsy troop of birds who fail to guard three small watermelons."

Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Hare (Narrator)

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Convict Colony: The remarkable story of the fledgling settlement that survived against the odds

"From the bestselling author of 1788. The remarkable story of the fledgling settlement that survived against the odds. Bestselling historian David Hill tells the story of the first three decades of Britain's earliest colony in Australia in a fresh and compelling way. The British plan to settle Australia was a high-risk venture. We now take it for granted that the first colony was the basis of one of the most successful nations in the world today. But in truth, the New World of the 18th century was dotted with failed colonies, and New South Wales nearly joined them. The motley crew of unruly marines and bedraggled convicts who arrived at Botany Bay in 1788 in leaky boats nearly starved to death. They could easily have been murdered by hostile locals, been overwhelmed by an attack from French or Spanish expeditions, or brought undone by the Castle Hill uprising of 1804. Yet through fortunate decisions, a few remarkably good leaders, and most of all good luck, Sydney survived and thrived. “David Hill captures Australia’s past in a very readable way.” THE WEEKLY TIMES"

David A. Hill (Author), Conrad Coleby (Narrator)

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Mysterious Polynesia: The Myths, Legends, and Mysteries of the Polynesians

"By the mid-17th century, the existence of a land in the south referred to as Terra Australis was generally known and understood by the Europeans, and incrementally, its shores were observed and mapped. Van Diemen’s Land, an island off the south coast of Australia now called Tasmania, was identified in 1642 by Dutch mariner Abel Tasman, and a few months later, the intrepid Dutchman would add New Zealand to the map of the known world. Taking into account similarities of appearance, customs and languages spread across a vast region of scattered islands, it was obvious that the Polynesian race emerged from a single origin, and that origin Cook speculated was somewhere in the Malay Peninsula or the “East Indies.” In this regard, he was not too far from the truth. The origins of the Polynesian race have been fiercely debated since then, and it was only relatively recently, through genetic and linguistic research, that it can now be stated with certainty that the Polynesian race originated on the Chinese mainland and the islands of Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. Oceania was, indeed, the last major region of the Earth to be penetrated and settled by people, and Polynesia was the last region of Oceania to be inhabited. The vehicle of this expansion was the outrigger canoe, and aided by tides and wind patterns, a migration along the Malay Archipelago, and across the wide expanses of the South Pacific, began sometime between 3000 and 1000 BCE, reaching the western Polynesian Islands in about 900 BCE. While the timing of the populations’ movements can be accurately plotted, the motivations and methodology have tended to come to light only through the study of the oral tradition and the folklore associated with many dispersed, but culturally associated peoples. Indeed, when scholars go through the traditions and mythology passed down by people who are dispersed across thousands of miles of water and islands, they are amazed."

Charles River Editors (Author), Gregory T. Luzitano (Narrator)

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Uluru: The History and Legacy of the Australian Landmark Considered Sacred by the Local Aborigines

"The magnificent monolith the locals call “Uluru,” situated in the heart of Australia, hovers over a patchy bed of desert poplars and spinifex grasslands. The pleasant, but otherwise unexceptional surroundings of the spellbinding sandstone landform only further accentuates its majesty, one that can be appreciated from a variety of angles. To lime-colored budgerigars, mighty brown falcons, passengers in planes and helicopters, and other creatures blessed with the gift of flight, the free-form rock is reminiscent of the fossil of a spiky fish, a misshapen arrowhead, or perhaps a peculiar, ocher-tinged seashell peeking out of the sand. To those gazing upon the natural gem on solid ground, the flat-topped, burnt sienna beauty, marked with character-forming dimples, ripples, and ridges, looks more like a sleeping, thousand-year-old turtle, particularly through squinted eyes. Its striking appearance aside, Uluru, also known as “Ayers Rock,” is far more than an unmissable landmark. Uluru represents an inimitable symbol of life and culture, and a place of worship sacred to the region's aboriginal inhabitants. Given the long and riveting history attached to this hallowed rock, the aura of mysticality and mystery that clings to Uluru should come as no surprise. Not only does the rock's flaky surface change color throughout the day – going from a deep violet with hints of gray to a light lilac, to a fiery orange-red during sunrise, and from its usual apricot-gold to a faded orange, to a dreamy purplish-pink at dusk – Uluru, they say, is an endless source of inexplicable happenings and paranormal occurrences. "

Charles River Editors (Author), David Bernard (Narrator)

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Australia & Oceania Audiobooks in History