The Man from Snowy River

In my comments about the riding trip, both here on the blog and in my book, I mention “The Man from Snowy River.” This may not have a huge amount of significance for readers outside Australia, so I thought a little additional information might be helpful.
First it was a poem written in the late 1800s [...]

Australia’s Gold Rush

The discovery of gold in Australia had, in many ways, a similar effect to the discovery of gold in the United States—a stampede of hopeful fortune seekers. Victoria is not the only place where gold was discovered, but it most closely parallels the explosive growth and ostentatious wealth of California’s great Gold Rush. In fact, [...]

Mark Twain in Melbourne

The day after I returned to Adelaide from Kangaroo Island, I departed from South Australia. I would return later in this trip, and I have visited SA each time I’ve returned to Australia, but this first visit was at an end. A Greyhound bus carried me across the miles, and I had soon crossed into [...]

The Rock

I liked Alice Springs, but it was when I reached Ayers Rock, or Uluru, that I began to fall in love with Australia’s Red Centre. It wasn’t just the Rock; there was something about the soft, red earth, the wildflowers and wildlife, the air and sky, the emptiness and openness that captivated me. It made [...]

The Book is Out!

I just got my sample copy from the printer on Thursday, and on Saturday night, the book popped up on Amazon.com. So it’s ready! Hard to believe. It took a long time and a lot of work—but now it’s real. I’m very excited—not just to have a book out, but to be able to share [...]

World Writers in Oz

I find that most Americans are surprised to learn that many famous British and American writers visited—and wrote about—Australia. Mark Twain wrote extensively about Australia in his book Following the Equator. The work includes information about his lecture tour and the people he met, but focuses more on what he saw and learned, both positive [...]

Matilda and friends

While Australians will likely understand the title Waltzing Australia instantly, the meaning might not be obvious to non-Aussies. Of course, mention the famous poem and song “Waltzing Matilda,” and the connection will be made for more folks. However, there are still some outside Oz who are scratching their heads as to the meaning of much [...]