Cirrus@Austlit

'A fascinating, multi-faceted account of Australia's greatest river system, past, present and future, with many stories about the people whose lives have been bound up with the Murray.' (Publication summary)

This text distils what is known about global warming, pollution, population pressure, resource use, extinction and other environmental issues, with examples from all over the world. Having set out the problems, the author explains what is being done and suggests additional actions.

'The inside story of a national icon

''The giant coat-hanger' took 1300 men eight years to build. They used six million rivets and 53 000 tonnes of steel. John Nicholson tells the story step by step, in fascinating detail: the vision, the problems, the solutions, the suspense (would the two halves actually meet?), the risks, the celebrations.

'Once you've read this book, you'll never see that soaring arch, that vast maze of steel, the same way again.' (Publication summary)

'How would you like to cross the Pacific Ocean in a home-made boat?

'Sounds impossible, doesn't it? - but that's what the Polynesians did, skimming through the water at 20 km an hour with enough provisions on board for several weeks at sea. They and other peoples of the Pacific rim built boats for fishing, travelling, carrying goods, exploring and war.

'Fishing for Islands celebrates these traditional boats of South-east Asia and the Pacific, and shows how they were made, using bamboo, timber, vines, coconut fibre and so on. It also traces the movement of Melanesian and Polynesian people, beginning with short island-hops in bark or reed canoes and gradually extending out into the vastness of the Pacific, navigating by memory and the stars.

'This is a John Nicholson classic: a superbly illustrated, down-to-earth and very personal angle on history, informed by a passion for the things that people design and make.' (Publication summary)

'Now in paperback, this is a clear, readable explanation of the machinery of government in Australia and of the people and processes involved, written for upper primary and lower secondary students but likely to prove valuable to many an adult as well.

'Who's Running This Country? explains how Australia is governed, why we have the system we do, how it works, and what changes are being discussed.' (Publication summary)

'What kind of buildings do Australians live in? The answers are sometimes surprising.
'A Home Among the Gum Trees takes us from Aboriginal shelters and the rough efforts of early settlers to modern suburban houses; from early company town to convict hospital; from tree-house to lighthouse to mobile home.Along the way, it shows how Australians have responded to the land, the weather and new fashions and materials.'  (Publication summary)