A Traveller's History of Australia

A condensed, concise history from from earliest human occupation to the modern times. It was interesting to see the contrast of the development of the colonies in Victoria, SA and WA with the original settlement. I felt the book gives a much wider view of the Australian persona.

Good overview of Australian history from prehostory to 2001. I have been looking for something like this for a while. A lot of information, well worth the cost. I like the explanation of why boomerangs return. It includes a historical gazeteer in the back and a summary chronology of major dates in Austrailian history.

This book is an excellent, succinct history that is an easy read. I searched for books on Australia and this seemed to be the most objectively written. I wouldn't use it like a Fodor's guide to plan a trip with interesting places to eat or stay. It does give a nice history of the country to familiarize yourself with Australia and gives you an idea of places to see in this wonderful and diverse country. I'm going to check out books from this series on other countries.

If you're going to the Olympic Games in Sydney Australia in September, this book will provide the background you need. The author takes you from the aboriginal Dream-Time, 53,000 years ago, to the booming cities of 2000. If you want to know why boomerangs return, how in the early days of settlement many ex-convicts became millionaires (legally!), where is the world's largest flat surface, at which battle in the Vietnam War the Aussies killed the Vietcong 15 to 1, why Canberra and not Sydney is the capital city, when Australia experienced a military coup, or who is the cricket equivalent of Babe Ruth, this is your book. There is also a chronology of the main historical events and, useful for visitors, a historical gazeteer of the main cities and tourist spots.