Cirrus@Austlit

'These people are very different, but they have much in common. They’re the salt of the outback, but they’re not from long ago and far away. You can rub shoulders with them here and now. They’re our outback legends.

'Immerse yourself in these armchair travels and heart-warming life stories as Evan McHugh, bestselling author of Outback Heroes and Outback Pioneers, catches up with some of the most remarkable and inspiring characters our country has to offer.

'Meet icons such as boxing impresario Fred Brophy, who turned ‘You can’t’ into ‘I will’, to Shannon Warnest, world champion shearer. Discover unsung heroes such as ‘mother of the Barkly’ Bernadette Burke, convenor of one of the world’s biggest women’s networks, and nurse June Andrew, who has dedicated a lifetime to running a remote health service, often single-handedly. You may not have heard of some of these people but you’ll be enriched by meeting them now.

'Outback Legends is a unique and colourful celebration of Aussie characters who’ve earned themselves a reputation for their achievements and contributions in the most far-flung and challenging corners of our country. None of the people in this book has sought fame but every one of them deserves it.' (Publication Summary)

'Nipper only wants to be one thing: a lifesaver. In his world they're larger than life, walking, talking heroes. He's too young, but he starts to train in secret, challenging himself in the Bondi surf. But his secret comes to light one hot Sunday in 1938 - a day that was to become infamous.' (Publication summary)

'The story of Australia, told from the woolsheds.

''For much of its history Australia has been described as riding on the sheep's back . . . but if the country rode on anyone's back, it was on the aching, creaking, flexing spines of Australian shearers.'

'Armed with their blades, a sense of adventure and a relentless work ethic, shearers have been a fundamental part of Australia's outback for centuries.

'From legendary figures such as blade shearing record-holder Jack Howe and fearless union man cum poet Julian Stuart, to today's young guns having to adapt to a rapidly changing industry, these rugged, resilient and proud characters have influenced the social landscape and folklore of the country. Shearers contributed to the formation of both the Labor and National parties, while Australia's national song, 'Waltzing Matilda', was written on a Queensland sheep station.'(Publication summary)

'Birdsville is one of the most remote police postings in Australia. It can be lonely and uneventful for weeks, then the dramas come thick and fast: from desert rescues to rising floods, venomous vipers to visiting VIPs.

'Throw in heat, dust and flies and it’s not a job for the faint-hearted, unless you’re Senior Constable Neale McShane, who has single-handedly taken care of a beat the size of Victoria for the past ten years. Recently retired from this ‘hardship posting’, Neale and his family thrived on the adventures and colourful times that come with the territory in the furthest corner of our country.

'Yarning with friend and bestselling author Evan McHugh, Neale’s experiences are humorous and heartfelt. How do you feed 4000 unexpected dinner guests? Where do you find a Chinook helicopter when you need one? Who’s your backup when the population explodes for the famous Birdsville Races? And what do you do when you’re the person the Flying Doctor is flying out?

'Among these inspiring tales of danger and death, dreamers and ‘dumb tourists’, you’ll encounter a little community with a big heart that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with a larger-than-life policeman who’s become part of Australia’s outback legend.' (Publication summary)

''For the drover's life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know.'

'From the High Country to the Outback, there are extraordinary stories of the men and women who have travelled across Australia behind mobs of cattle, sheep and horses. These quiet achievers, of every race and creed, forged an Australian legend.

'Evan McHugh brings alive the hapless convicts attempting to round up the First Fleet's escaped cattle on foot; overlanders blazing through trackless wilderness to supply the vast stations carved from the bush; stockmen who risked blizzards to bring cattle to alpine pastures; and drovers who crossed the continent behind the largest mobs of cattle the world has ever seen.

'These stories overflow with colourful characters: cattle-duffers like Harry Redford, renowned boss drovers like Nat Buchanan and strong women like Edna Zigenbine and Red Jack, who could measure up to any man. They lived a life most of us only dream about and came to love the beauty of Australia's most famous and infamous stock routes, including the Birdsville, Murranji and Strzelecki tracks, and the Canning stock route.

'McHugh's meticulous research and vivid eye for detail is the closest you'll get to saddling up your moke and poking a mob of cattle off camp.' (Publication summary)