Cirrus@Austlit

'The construction of the Overland Telegraph in 1870 is an extraordinary feat of engineering and a wild gamble that nearly went terribly wrong.

'It was the greatest feat of engineering in nineteenth century Australia, but it very nearly collapsed in the face of monumental obstacles.

'The year was 1870, and letters took six weeks to get to England by sea. Australians hungered for the speedy communication a telegraph connection would bring. Engineer Charles Todd promised that he could string up wires on poles from Adelaide over 3,000 kilometres to an undersea cable in Darwin harbour in just eighteen months. It was a wild gamble that became an epic race against time.

'This is the extraordinary story of the building of the Overland Telegraph. Three teams of workers followed the rough maps that John McDouall Stuart had brought back from his final expedition, crossing deserts, mountains, and rivers in flood. They encountered Aboriginal people who had never seen a European, and battled crocodiles, mosquitoes, mysterious illnesses and hunger. Drawing on original letters and journals, David Dufty has uncovered never before published details about this groundbreaking project.

'This is a tale of obsession and heroism, violence and tragedy, and above all, it's a totally compelling yarn.'  (Publication summary)

'David Dufty goes back to the records to uncover the real story of the police officers who pursued the Kelly Gang. This pacey account of the capture of the Kelly Gang reads like a detective story.

'He lurched through the gun smoke, his armour glinting in the moonlight, and started shooting. To the weary men and women at the burning Glenrowan hotel, he appeared like a crusader from medieval times.

'For over a century, the Ned Kelly legend has grown and grown. He's become Australia's Robin Hood, and leader of a colonial Irish resistance. How much of the legend is true?

'This is the real story of the hunt for the Kelly Gang over two long years. As gripping as any police procedural, it is an account of poorly trained officers unfamiliar with the terrain, in pursuit of the most dangerous men in the state.

'By recounting the story from the perspective of the law, for the first time, David Dufty gets to the heart of the story and finds answers to many unresolved questions. Why was the gang always one step ahead of the police? Why did so many law-abiding citizens assist the outlaws? Did the illiterate Ned really write the impassioned Jerilderie Letter? Did the police really persecute the Kelly family? Who was Michael Ward and why is he the real hero in the capture of Ned Kelly?' (Publication summary)