Frederick Wordsworth Ward, better known as 'Captain Thunderbolt', had one of the longest bushranging 'careers' in history. Plaguing New South Wales for almost seven years, he enjoyed much public support as he was intelligent, and charming. This book describes some of Thunderbolt's exploits and refutes many of the popular myths that surround him.
From the first convict runaways to the spectacular showdown that ended Ned Kelly's career, Evan McHugh delivers true tales of daring exploits and a cast of roguish characters who blazed their place into Australian history. These are incredible stories of the men - and women - who achieved fame not just by what they did, but by the way they did it, many of them lifting themselves from downtrodden underdogs to self-made heroes. There are heroic figures like Cash and Company, the prince of bushrangers Matthew Brady, Bold Jack Donohue, brave Ben Hall, Captain Thunderbolt and of course, Ned Kelly. But there are also villains like Pearce the Cannibal, Jeffries the Monster and 'Mad Dog' Morgan. Bushrangers is as fast paced as a stolen thoroughbred and as arresting as a squad of troopers. Through extensive first-hand accounts and gripping detail about Australia's lawless past, bestselling author Evan McHugh brings a fresh perspective to a turbulent era of crime, defiance and emerging Australia identity.
The story of Australia's last bushranging gang - the murderous Kenniffs. Easter Sunday, 1902, deep in the Carnarvon Ranges a police constable and station manager are slain then later incinerated, their remains stuffed into saddlebags. Accused of the ghoulish crime are two members of the bushranging Kenniff gang, fast gaining notoriety as Queensland's equivalent of the Kelly gang. Yet the murders are a bold escalation from the petty fraud, horse stealing and cattle duffing the gang is known for. Starving and exhausted after three long months on the run, the brothers are finally captured, and so the wheels of justice start to turn. The story of the Kenniffs has fascinated Mike Munro for decades - ever since he found out these last bushrangers were his family. If not for Mike's grandfather illegally changing his name in shame from Kenniff to Munro, this major figure in Australian television would be known to us as Mike Kenniff. But who were Mike's relatives? What drove them to their life of crime? And were the brothers really responsible for such terrible murders? In answering these questions Mike Munro takes us back to the dawn of Federation, when bush skills and horsemanship could help outlaws escape the police, when remote pastoralists were vulnerable targets for thieves and marauders, when race and class divides were entrenched - but resented - and when brutal, feckless outlaws faced the ultimate punishment. This is a story that is both gripping and personal, and an insight into an Australia just coming of age. PRAISE FOR THE LAST BUSHRANGERS 'All families have a secret ... but Mike's is a doozy! This touching, TRUE story is a terrific read!' Di Morrissey 'A thoroughly informed, lively and balanced page-turner' Steven Carroll, Sydney Morning Herald
This vintage book contains an detailed account of the Kelly Gang and their various exploits, painstakingly composed by the author from official documents, contemporary newspapers, and other sources of information. The Kelly Gang was a family criminal gang of bush-rangers that rose to infamy in in late nineteenth-century Australia for a litany of crimes ranging from horse rustling to bank robbery. Contents include: "The Murders on the Wombat," "Finding the Bodies," "The Bushrangers' Country," "Why the Kellys 'Went Out'," "Police Preparations," "Mr. Nicholson in Pursuit.--The Outlaw Bill," "The Rats' Castle Fiasco," "The Outlaws' Lost to Sight," "Mr. Wyatt and the Broken Wires," "The Sticking-Up of Faithfull's Creek," "The Euroa Bank Robbery," et cetera. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.
He stole her locket ... she stole his heart. Central Highlands of Victoria, 1861 Jack the Devil's reputation precedes him. The most notorious bushranger on the Central Highlands, nothing throws him off his game ... until he holds up Prudence Stanforth and her grandmother. Jack can't help but be captivated by the feisty Pru, with her sweeping red hair and complete lack of fear. Weeks later, Pru crosses paths with the respectable businessman Jack Fairweather, and it's not long before she recognises him as the bushranger who stole her beloved necklace. His price for the locket's return is her silence ... and a kiss. A kiss that sparks something inside them both. When Pru discovers her grandmother has been keeping a devastating secret, running away with Jack the Devil is the perfect escape for her broken heart. The dangerous nature of his less-than-salubrious occupation is a poetic contradiction to her sheltered upbringing and only fuels their passion. Until that danger becomes a reality. Between the return of dark elements from Jack's past and authorities intent on his capture, Jack and Pru must fight for their future together ... or risk losing everything. A rollicking historical tale about following your heart, finding home in unexpected places - and bushrangers - for readers of Darry Fraser and Alison Stuart. PRAISE: 'The Bushranger's Wife is a story filled with passion, danger, adventure and the true power of love. It is fast-paced and heartwarming, flirty and sensual. It has all the elements of a perfect romance read.' Beauty and Lace 'A dangerous bushranger, a feisty young woman ahead of her time, a stolen necklace and an undeniable love tryst defines this heart pounding tale from Cheryl Adnams ... This is one fiery tale!' Mrs B Book Reviews
Read how dashing and feckless individuals have captured the imaginations of so many, and their deeds immortalised in song, films and stories. Australia's history is filled with colourful characters from convict escapees to colonial highwaymen, called bushrangers. This book describes the outlaws, how they lived and the people they lived with, as well as that most infamous of Australia's bushrangers - Ned Kelly.
An exciting new tale of a brumby, a boy and a bushranger in the Animal Stars series. A story of survival, second chances ... and a dance with danger. Young Billy Marks is a pickpocket, transported to the penal colony of New South Wales. He reckons he'll become a bushranger - but that's before he's had a chance to see the bush up close. And when he buys the big white brumby stallion, covered with scars but refusing to bend to any man's will, he knows he made the right choice. Billy's daughter Mattie Jane thinks her father can ride any horse who ever lived ... and so can she! But when tragedy strikes, the Marks clan, including Mattie's beloved horse, Rebel Yell, will need all their courage to keep the family together. The deeds and disputed stories of Jackie French's own ancestors inspire another novel - a tale of proud horses, trailblazing farmers and their resilient wives, and desperate men forced to break the law to survive. PRAISE FOR ANIMAL STARS SERIES: 'beautifully written ... a significant addition to the books about Gallipoli' - ReadPlus.com.au 'marvel at Jackie French's versatility and her skill in making the past live for young readers' - Magpies