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.
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
Robbery Under Arms was acclaimed as an Australian classic almost immediately after it appeared in book form in the late 1880s. It was praised for its excitement, romance and authentic picture of 1850s colonial life. As the first writer to attempt a long narrative in the voice of an uneducated Australian bushman, Rolf Boldrewood had created a story with enduring cultural resonance. Its continuing appeal and popularity have seen the tale frequently adapted for stage, radio, film and television. During all of this time the novel's text was not stable. It lost some material accidentally in its early typesettings, and these omissions were never repaired. It was later abridged by its author at the publisher's request, but the publisher botched his instructions. And, as with any much-reprinted work, thousands of small changes gradually crept into the text. This Academy Edition is the first full-scale critical edition of the novel. It presents the text as it originally appeared in instalments in the pages of the Sydney Mail in 1882-83. It allows readers to experience the first-person narration that Henry Lawson was inspired by, to appreciate how the special qualities of voice were partially flattened over time and to know exactly what material was omitted. (Publisher's blurb).
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.
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.
Read about the Ned Kelly gang, Captain Starlight, Ben Hall and many other bushrangers of our colonial past. With a keen imagination, the historic locations can transport the modern explorer back to the wild days of the early settlement when gold glittered, guns blazed, and men and women struggled. Bushranger Tracks is the result of Gregory Powell s continuing passion for Australian history and, in particular, the bushranger era. This is possibly the most extensive book detailing bushranger sites ever published. Gregory Powell combines his interests in bushwalking and history to explore historical and scenic regions on foot. He is the author of booksexploring the Snowy Mountains, the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley and has published four bushranger locality books. Greg was a founding member of Hunter Bushrangers (formerly Rovent Historical Re-enactments), a living history group formed in 1969 which performed at public events all over the state until 2009.