PLEASE NOTE: Any book title starting with "The" - the second word of the title is used to list by.

All prices quoted are in Australian currency and include GST.
* Short trade discount.

Thomas Edwards of Beverley

by Mollie Bentley

ISBN 0 85905 076 9, (1985 new), Soft Cover and Hard Cover, 148mm x 210mm, 115 pp, illustrated, HC 290grams, SC 180grams

HC $28.00, SC $22.00 + POST


From the Introduction by W.J. de Burgh

This excellent biography of one of Western Australia's mounted of the last (19th) century is an important addition to the overall view of our pioneering history.  Rather than dwell on all the things that were done that should not have been done, and all the things that were not done that should have been done, Mollie Bentley has told the story as it was.

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Those were the Days

by Arthur Reid

ISBN 0 85905 101 3, (1986 reprint of 1933 edition with new material), Hard Cover, quarto, 418pp, illustrated, l.5kg

$95.00* + POST


Those Were The Days  is an important reminiscing history of Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie.  This magnificent, large format, hard bound volume gives biographical details of more than 400 early goldfielders. Fully indexed.

those_who_followedThose who followed.

Thomas Clarence Andrews.

ISBN 978-1-875778-08-9, A4, 101 pages. 300 grams, $30.00*


Andrews spent many years on the Nullarbor and knew its secrets well. He writes of the native tribes, strange minerals, and the early coastal shipping. Shipwrecks, sandalwood, sealing and sailing the south coast are detailed and long stays on otherwise deserted islands of the Archipelago. The settlers of the area are described as he knew them well. A keen observer of natural history he was the guide to the 1950 Recherche Archipelago expedition described in the Hesperian book, Archipelago of the Recherche Expedition.

three_familiesThree Families Outback

in Australia's Tropical North

by Florence Martin

ISBN 0 85905 364 4, (1980 reprint 2007), Soft Cover, 107 pp, illustrated, 165grams

$22.00 + POST


The story of the families on Carlton Hill, Ningbing, and Legune Stations in the early 1900s.

throssels_vcThrossell’s ‘V.C.”

Captain Donald MacLean AIF

ISBN 978-0-85905-943-5, (R.2022), A4, 17 pages, illustrated. 90 grams, $22.00*


The story of how Hugo Throssell won his VC, by one who was with him.

through_aurumalia_coverThrough Aurumalia

by A J Vogan

ISBN 978-0-85905-106 4, (1896, R2009), Soft Cover, A4, 72pp, illust, 250grams

$25.00* + POST


Arthur Vogan was a journalist, explorer, photographer, artist. These are his reports on the mines of Kalgoorlie and
the surrounding areas in the mid 1890s.

through_bush_scrubThrough Bush and Scrub

Travels in the North among the Stations

by Norman Malcolm (Canmore)

ISBN 978-0-85905-587-1, (2015, New), A4, 92pp, indexed, 275 grams.

$25.00* + POST


Journalist and returned soldier, Norman Malcolm (d1926), once well known, and whose biography is outlined, wrote of developing pastoral stations of the North. This collection describes the people, districts, travel, and stations, 1923-1926.

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through_pinifex_sandThrough Spinifex and Sand to the Last Desert Family

by William J. Peasley

ISBN 978-0-85905-590-1, (2015, New), A4, 100pp, well illustrated, indexed, 300 grams.

$30.00*+ POST


Bill Peasley and his associates travelled to the Great Sandy Desert in 1976. They brought into civilisation the last of the ‘wild’ aboriginals who had, because of tribal laws, chosen to live a free life in the desert. This is the story of the expedition, the family, and earlier travels in that area.

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through_the_murchison_cvrThrough the Murchisons

The Peak Hill, Murchison, and Yalgoo Fields in 1904

Daisy Bates

ISBN 978-0-85905-720-2, (New, 2018), A4, 19pp, illustrated, 70 grams

$15.00* + POST


Daisy Bates was an intrepid reporter who was well used to tough travelling. She examined many of the Murchison mines in their fledgling days.

thro_the_nor_west_on_a_saddThrough the Nor’-West on a Side Saddle.

by Daisy M. Bates.

ISBN 978-0-85905-967-1, (R1902, 2022), A4, 38 pages, indexed, 140 grams $25.00*


We found that the version we published several years ago was but an abbreviated description of Daisy Bates’ 1902 droving trip from Broome to the Opthalmia Range. Now the full version is found and published. This is a vibrant record of a major droving foray with the only thing missing being the swear words or their equivalent from dealing with fools and poor facilities. Times change, and while the idiot brigade will decry her choice of terms for the native assistants, their providential and effective help may have started her interest in their life and stories. 

brolga-cover

Time of the Brolga

by Jean Bull

978-0-85905-502-4, (2012, New), 150pp, Soft Cover, illust., 365grams

$35.00 + POST


Jean Bull, a prominent Queensland rural journalist, weaves a picture of station life in southwest Queensland in the early 20th century from the perspective of a child growing up in the outback. This is a narrative composed of poignant literary sketches of life on Tiranna station interspersed with interesting anecdotes and socio-historical details. This book records an important epoch of post-World War I station history. The story is written in an eloquent, easy-to-read style where the author portrays the trials and tribulations of station life with a cast of colourful characters who once frequented outback Queensland. The story is a tribute to the pioneering fortitude and achievements of her father George Ernest Bull and her mother Marjorie Bee Finch Bull (nee Brodie) in the establishment of Tiranna and the raising of their two daughters.

to_call_our_ownTo Call Our Own

Pioneering the Group Settlements

by M.R.H. Southcombe

ISBN 0 85905 119 6, (1998 new), Soft Cover, 145mm x 215mm, 87pp, illustrated, 140grams

$22.00 + POST


The pioneering of the Group Settlements, Kalgoorlie in the depression, riots on the goldfields, and timber milling.

to_king_george_sound_coverTo King George the Third Sound for Whales

Transcribed from the original Kingston's logbook

by Rod Dickson

ISBN 0 85905 372 5, (2006 New) Hard cover, dj, 174 pp, 25 x 17cm, illustrated, maps, 480grams

$55.00* + POST (A limited edition of 500 copies)


The log a of a voyage aboard the British whaling vessel Kingston of London under the command of Captain Thomas Dennis, 1800-1802. Transcribed from the original ship’s logbook by Rod Dickson.

This is the first publication in the series of publications complementary to Western Australian Exploration, known as the Historical Records of Western Australia.

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to_the_bar_bondedTo The Bar Bonded

by Kath Mallett

ISBN 0 85905 178 1, 1992 new), Hard Cover, 145mm x 222mm, 330pp, illustrated, 550grams

$40.00 + POST


A fascinating look at this quintessential Western Australian outback town from its beginnings.

Kath Mallett's historical research and memoirs, much of which was literally hand-written on the back of jam tin labels are recorded here as a tribute to the little town she loved.

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to-the-golden-land

To the Golden Land. Exploration to the Eastwards 1869-1896

by Peter J. Bridge and associates. With an Introduction by J.M.R Cameron.

ISBN 978-0-85905-704-2, (New, 2019), 160 x 240mm, 712 pp, colour and black and white illustrations, maps, indexed, hard cover, 2kg+, $140.00* + POST


An important contribution to the history of WA covering all that periods 65 expeditions, including many that were previously unknown. Includes for the first time all the colour plates of Forrest in the 1870s. More than 150 illustrations and maps.

Like our other Exploration Diaries this will become the basic reference in this field. Due to the poisoned arrows of our economy the edition is small, so please do not delay ordering. 

to_the_klondykeTo the Klondyke!

Western Australians on the Yukon-Klondyke 1897-1903.

Peter J. Bridge.

ISBN 978-1-857778-10-2, A4, 153 pages, illustrated, 450 grams, $40.00*


Despite the riches around them Australians rushed to the Klondyke wastes. Few found payable gold. It was primarily just another Yankee rort aggravated by Canadian obtuseness which led to many deaths and disappointments. Perhaps the only successful operators were the transporters, Eskimo Nell’s chain of whorehouses (they were at least hot spots), and the Canadian government extorters.

to_the_savage_landTo the Savage Land

The life of John Costello

by M.J. Costello

ISBN 0 85905 287 7, (2002 reprint), Soft Cover, 161pp, illustrated, 225gms

$26.00 + POST


In the 1880s John Costello, a pastoralist from Yass who has settled on Coopers Creek, purchased Lake Nash Station. He then opened up the wild country on the Limmen River of the Northern Territory, fighting disease, drought, malaria, hostile natives and cattle thieves. Eventually he lost the battle but never forgot the promise of his savage land.

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to-wallal-and-back

To Wallal … and Back. The story of a Mullewa Drover.

by Joan Ridley.

ISBN 978-0-85905-772-1, (1999, R 2019), A4, illustrated, indexed, 42 pages, 130 grams, $22.00*


Ned Ridley was well known WA drover. This trip during WWII was blighted by disaster for the sheep, but is a good record of a traditional droving trip.

tom_patTom and Pat

The story of Tom and Pat Fleming, Centralian Pioneers and Missionaries to the Warlpiri People of Australia.

 Ivan Jordan OAM and Ed Kingston.

ISBN 978-0-85905-941-1, (New, 2022), 165 x 240, French flaps cover, 131pages, well illustrated, colour, 350 grams, $35.00.

toms_story_coverTom's Story

An Autobiography

by Thomas Fisher.

ISBN 978-0-85905-519-2, (2012, New), A4, 113pp. illustrated, indexed, 450 grams

$30.00* + POST


When Tom Fisher was growing up on a farm in Western Australia in the 1920's, and during the Depression of the 1930's, he could never have imagined that he would take part in some of the toughest naval battles of World War II. Able Seaman Tom Fisher commenced his war service on 3 September 1939 and, except for a brief period in late 1945, served at sea throughout the war.

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tommy_ningebong_cvrTommy Ningebong

by Phil Bianchi

ISBN 978-0-85905-599-4, (2015, New), A4, 71 pp, illustrated, 190 grms.

$25.00* + POST


Bushman, tracker, drover, stockman, pastoralist, Aboriginal Ningebong was an extraordinary individual. C1904-1978 he spent most of his life in the wider Wiluna area. He was a favourite of the local people and many are the stories of his solidity and of course his little quirks. This biography places on record his life and peoples appreciation of him. He was the principal witness in the trial of the murderers of trapper Joe Wilkins in 1937 and in a rustling trial in the 1970s. He was one of the first Aboriginals to have his own pastoral Lease.

too_far_outToo Far Out. An administrative history of the Ngaanyatjarra homelands.

Max Angus.

ISBN 978-0-85905-992-3, (new, 2023), 160 x 240, 295 pages, well illustrated, indexed, 700 grams, $66.00*


The Explorers’ Diaries Project has now commenced work on the Central Desert. This book is a good introduction to the history of that area.

For a century following the gruelling expeditions of the first European explorers through the remote homelands of the Ngaanyatjarra people in Western Australia, successive governments concluded that the arid region was ‘beyond the limits of civilisation’. They adopted a policy of ‘non-interference’ — a euphemism for official neglect. Allocated puny budgets, administrators were without the means of providing basic human services to the Ngaanyatjarra people.

In 1934, to fill the gap, a handful of evangelical Christian missionaries arrived to build a depot near the Warburton Ranges. Conditions were primitive and support was limited. Their main goal was to lay the foundations for a Ngaanyatjarra Christian church.

The situation changed radically in the 1970s after the mission station closed and the Commonwealth government launched its policy of Aboriginal self-determination. It tried to make up for lost time but imposed an unrealistic timetable to right past wrongs, misjudging the willingness and capacity of the desert people to manage their own communities according to unfathomable administrative precepts.

This original work, based on the history of one place over many decades, looks closely at how officials of state and Commonwealth governments engaged with the people living on the Ngaanyatjarra homelands. The account avoids simplistic, narrow explanations and valuations of what was a complex struggle every step of the way.

It is deeply ironic that in the 1990s, when there were grounds for optimism in the Ngaanyatjarra communities, governments began to dismantle the administrative apparatus on which the progress was at last being built.

Max Angus is an Emeritus Professor of Education at Edith Cowan University and a former state public servant.

* In a recent email send out we listed the price incorrectly. Our apologies. 

toodyay_front_coverToodyay

the good old days

by Wally Chitty (edited by Chris Martin)

ISBN 0 85905 342 3, (2004), 248 pages, 240x160mm, 150+ photos, maps, 415grams

$35.00 + POST


A magnificent new book on Toodyay - an anecdotal snapshot of life in times gone by.

Features more than 1000 people.  Illustrated with over 150 photographs. Includes reference maps. Easy to read and of great interest.

The author is a fourth generation member of a well known local pioneering family.

toodyay_gold_coverToodyay Gold

compiled by Peter J Bridge and Angela Teague

ISBN 978-0-85905-443-0, (2008 New), A4, Soft Cover, 62pp, illustrated, 200 grams

$22.00*+ POST


Toodyay, one of the earliest settlements in Western Australia, dating from the 1830s, and the scene of many interesting incidents, showed that after a century of occupation it had more secrets to reveal, when in 1931, early in the first Great Depression, Brown and party discovered payable gold in Yinniding Creek, eight miles south-west of the town. This is an example of resources expanding to fill the needs.

This systematic collection of items in chronological order shows how the finds supported a small community of diggers during the difficult years of high unemployment and minimal incomes.

toodyay_homesteadsToodyay Homesteads

by Rica Erickson and Robyn Taylor

ISBN 0 85905 362 8, (2006 New), Soft Cover, 196 pages, 260grams

$30.00 + POST


Toodyay Homesteads, Past and Present is an invaluable book for anyone interested in Western Australia's rural heritage. It describes the evolution of the Toodyay District and the farming properties that have operated since the 1830s and 1840s. The book takes the reader on a journey from Morby Cottage in Northam to the Berkshire Valley homestead in Moora. Individual chapters reveal the social, administrative, and economic forces that shaped the early development of the Swan River colony, while the homesteads provide insights into the use of local materials, and construction and farming methods up to the present day. Solid archival research by Rica Erickson is given life through her own experiences and early conversations with original settlers and their descendants.

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top_camp_cvrTop Camp, Soldiers Secret
and the Ashburton Gold Rush

by Peter J Bridge

ISBN 978-0-85905-601-4, (New, 2015), A4, 222 pages, Illustrated, Indexed, 590 grams.

$50.00* + POST


The history of the Ashburton Gold Rush of 1890 with details of the pastoral stations, aboriginal conflict, lonely deaths, and all the adventures of the distant bush. This is a companion volume to the earlier, Bangemall.

top_of_the_hillThe Top of the Hill

Ed by PJ Bridge

ISBN 978-0-85905-608-3, (2015, R 1930s), A4, 110 pages, 315 grams

$30.00* + POST


The letters to The Western Mail in the late 1930s cover reminiscences and observations of bush life by men and women, farmers, drovers, sailors, fishermen and represent the land as it once was before the influx of aliens changed our life. Essential reading to grasp how the nation has changed and why so many are unhappy with the current trends.

Top of the River: A history of sailing at Maylands and the Maylands Yacht Club

by Chris Holyday & Terry Gaunt Snr

ISBN 978-0-85905-907-7, (New, 2021), A4, 104 pp, heavily illustrated, 330 grams, $30.00*top_of_the_river


Available from the Maylands Yacht Club.

touch me not cvrTouch Me Not

by Pat Studdy-Clift

ISBN 978-0-85905-654-0, (New, 2017), A4, 86 pages, well illustrated, 255 grams.

$30.00* + POST


This is an historical novel, based on fact and brimful of the adventures, trials and triumphs of one pioneering family – the Gadens. In 1923 with two small babies, aboard the lugger "Chantress", their adventurous father and his brave-hearted wife headed into the uncivilised part of Australia now known as Kakadu National Park, only to find themselves living in "bough sheds" at the mercy of tropical cyclones, buffalo bulls, fierce snakes and primeval crocodiles, to mention a few of their hazards.  Add to this a daughter Madge, who was not only a gifted pianist, but also a "darling".  She touched the hearts of many, world-wide, when leprosy struck both her and her father.  Top this with the inferno of World War Two as Madge, the mixed-race patients and their carers on Channel Island in Darwin Harbour faced the bombing of Darwin.  History leads us through a record of man's inhumanity, but also man's humanity to man.