First Australians

For years, Amy Thunig thought she knew all the details about the day she was born, often demanding that the story of her birth be retold. Years later, heavily pregnant with her own first child, she learns what really happened that day. It’s a tale that exemplifies many of the events of her early life, where circumstances sometimes dictated that things be slightly different from how they might seem–including what is meant by her dad being away for ‘work’ and why her legal last name differs from her family’s.

Derick A couple of months ago I would’ve said my family was cursed with the knowledge to know their soulmate. I can now say I was a selfish, spoiled idiot, because I’ve been blessed with the most amazing woman who lived through hell and is still the sweetest, bravest person I’ve ever met. It’s just a pity she’s the daughter of the president of the Devil’s Queens biker gang that has terrorized my family, and I hate the gang with every fiber of my being. Ruby My life has never been sunshine and rainbows, but I was always a ‘glass half-full’ girl, even when a punishment for ...

In her authentic and down-to-earth voice, Amelia will guide new mums through this time of great physical and emotional change.

Ruthie Midona is 24 (going on 94), and fully committed to her job at a luxury retirement village. Keeping herself busy caring for the eccentric residents means that Ruthie can safely ignore her own life - what little there is of it. Teddy Prescott is practically allergic to a hard day's work. When he rocks up as the retirement village's newest employee, Ruthie is less than impressed. The last thing she needs is a distraction as irritating (and handsome) as this selfish, rich kid.

Some things are worth rebuilding—even if it means risking your heart. When marketing executive Macy Sullivan inherits her grandmother’s crumbling coastal inn, she has just six months to restore it—or lose it forever. The only way to save her inheritance? Partnering with Luke Mitchell—the local builder she walked away from years ago, who might never forgive her. If Macy fails, she won’t just lose the inn—she’ll lose the last piece of her grandmother’s legacy. And with a ruthless developer circling like a shark, eager to tear it all down, Luke is the only person who can help ...

You might know that baby koalas spend time in their mother’s pouches, but there’s so much more to learn about these Australian marsupials! Discover why they spend 15 hours a day asleep, and how scientists use drones to monitor koala populations. Filled with simple science and plenty of animal facts, this book also explains why koalas love to munch eucalyptus leaves, and why they are most certainly not bears! It also looks at the conservation challenges these iconic animals face due to climate change and forest fires.

Louise Lovely: Australia’s First Movie Star is a captivating biography that delves into the life and career of Louise Lovely, Australia's first Hollywood star of the silent era. Born Nellie Louise Carbasse, Lovely's journey from her beginnings in Sydney when she first appeared on stage at the age of 9 in 1904, to her career as a world-renowned actress is nothing short of extraordinary. The book explores her early days, shrouded in mystery, and her rise to fame in both Australia and Hollywood. Lovely appeared in over fifty-five motion pictures between 1911 and 1922, becoming a ...

In December 1932, as the Depression tightened its grip, the body of a woman was found in Queens Park, Sydney. It was a popular park. There were houses in plain view. Yet this woman had been violently murdered without anyone noticing. Other equally brutal and shocking murders of women in public places were to follow. Australia's first serial killer was at large.

1913. War drums throb across the world. Greed and malice stalk the island. Despite people’s sneers, one woman stands up for the downtrodden. From childhood, Pansy has been an outsider. Her oddness makes her the butt of ridicule. Even her own family struggle to accept her. So, wouldn’t it be prudent to keep her nose out of the affairs of the family next door? Especially in 1913, when the islanders are more tense than ever. The world is lurching towards war. Some businessmen will do anything—even kill—to get rich by exploiting a special indigenous plant. Political debate rages over ...

Australian Encounters is a collection of firsthand accounts by Robert Kremnizer, who is a highly respected lawyer, businessman, and writer who is based in Sydney, Australia, portraying his interactions with the Rebbe, both in his professional capacity and in his private life....

Seven years after first contact, Providence Five launches. It is an enormous and deadly warship, built to protect humanity from its greatest ever threat. On board is a crew of just four-tasked with monitoring the ship and reporting the war's progress to a mesmerized global audience by way of social media. But while pursuing the enemy across space, Gilly, Talia, Anders and Jackson confront the unthinkable: their communications are cut, their ship decreasingly trustworthy and effective. To survive, they must win a fight that is suddenly and terrifyingly real.

When 17-year-old Jonah arrives in a new town – Patience – with his dad and younger brothers, it feels like a foreign place. A new town means he needs to make new friends - which isn't always easy. Especially when he's wrestling with his body image, and his memories of his mother.

From one of Australia's leading Indigenous journalists comes a collection of fierce and powerful essays proving why the media need to believe Black witnesses and showcasing ways that journalism can be used to hold the powerful to account and make the world a more equitable place. Black Witness is the essential collection of First Nations journalism that we need right now – and always have.

The Ashes cricket series, played out between England and Australia, is the oldest and arguably the most keenly contested rivalry in international sport. Yet the majority of the first representative Australian cricket team to tour England in 1878 in fact regarded themselves as Englishmen. In May of that year, the SS City of Berlin docked at Liverpool, and the Australians stepped onto English ground to begin the inaugural first-class cricket tour of England by a representative overseas team.

The first 12 weeks of a baby's life can be a challenge for any new parent. Tresillian's experienced, expert advice will guide you through with practical tips and real-life stories, set out in an accessible format for tired brains. With dedicated information for fathers and other caregivers, and key sections on coping with lockdowns and parenting in an age of social media, this is an audiobook packed with reassurance, guidance and ideas.

Knowing that he will soon die, Albert 'Poppy' Gondiwindi takes pen to paper. His life has been spent on the banks of the Murrumby River at Prosperous House, on Massacre Plains. Albert is determined to pass on the language of his people and everything that was ever remembered. He finds the words on the wind. August Gondiwindi has been living on the other side of the world for 10 years when she learns of her grandfather's death.

South Australia, 1914 When war against Germany erupts on the other side of the earth, a huge wave of suspicion, prejudice and persecution floods the community. There’s even a harsh concentration camp built for men branded as enemy aliens. Here in Adelaide, five diverse people are made vulnerable by the war. Elsie, gifted and ambitious child pianist, with German ancestry. Oskar, famous sportsman and businessman, also with German origins. Wilfred, a caring Anglican parish priest, opposed to the war. Pansy, an outsider by her very nature, but a fighter for justice to others. Little Neddy, a ...

EARTHQUAKE. TSUNAMI. DISASTER. Off the coast of Australia, a massive submarine landslide triggers a tsunami of unprecedented scale, hurtling towards the iconic Queensland Coast. Thousands are in the path of destruction, and time is running out. For Amy Jacobs, it’s an ordinary morning—until she notices the ocean pulling back unnaturally during her walk along the boardwalk with her two young children. She knows something is terribly wrong. Mark Jacobs is across town getting a haircut when he receives the emergency alert: head for higher ground. With nothing but flat terrain in sight, his...

Why is it that children in a family can share the same gene pool, a similar socio-economic environment and experience similar parenting styles yet have fundamentally different personalities, interests and even different careers as adults? Birth order! The implications for parents, teachers and adults involved with children are many. First published in 2003 to great acclaim, this fully revised and updated edition seeks to increase the listener's understanding of birth order theory.

As a teenage orphan in England in 1791, Mary Reibey was sentenced to death for stealing a horse. When police cornered her, she was dressed as a boy, and she maintained that disguise until she was unmasked at her trial. Due to her 'tender age', Reibey was spared the hangman's noose and sentenced to seven years' transportation to the colony of New South Wales. With the odds stacked against her, Reibey went on to become Australia's first female business tycoon and the richest woman in the colony, founding the Bank of New South Wales, now one of the nation's biggest financial institutions.