Feathers, fur and a rude royal romp
From dancing in the bush to stuffing the king’s star pet (and dodging his foul-mouthed mistress), a lovestruck couple who put Aussie animals on the map led an extraordinary life.
Books
‘Love, revenge’: War book’s tough timing
This acclaimed writer penned a spy novel about Hezbollah, Mossad and war in the Middle East. Two days after it was published, October 7 happened.
‘Rows of cardboard cartons, in each one a small baby’
How nurse Vivian Bullwinkel survived one of World War II’s most horrific events is a remarkable Australian story. Less well-known is that she headed back into a war zone three decades later, as Grantlee Kieza relates in this extract from Sister Viv.
How Dr Karl’s Christmas trip became a cautionary tale
Beloved celebrity scientist Dr Karl shared his extraordinary life story in recent memoirA Periodic Tale. In this extract, he tells how a trip home for Christmas almost ended in disaster – and offers a timely warning for those partying too hard this season.
More Stories
‘We must get off this place’: Batty’s horror on croc-infested island
David Batty knows Outback Australia better than most – and has had his share of hairy moments. In Batty’s Bush Bible, he tells why fashion photographers, musicians and the Top End don’t mix.
All in the family: Midnight Oil rocker’s surprise discovery
Midnight Oil’s Jim Moginie not only tells the story of the iconic Aussie band in The Silver River – he recalls discovering that he had been adopted and the long search for his birth family.
How beer-loving Bob almost ended PM bid before it began
Bob Hawke was one of Australia’s most legendary prime ministers – but as David Day recounts in Young Hawke, wild living almost ended his political career before it began.
‘Dancers and commandos’: How I detoxed Aussie swim team
In this extract from Tested, Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins discovers how America’s Cup champion John Bertrand turned the Aussie Olympic swimming team around.
My Queen ‘lie’ gave me an art attack
The most original biography yet of Queen Elizabeth II, Craig Brown’s A Voyage Around The Queen, contains dozens of little-known anecdotes – including the time an Australian artist found himself at Buckingham Palace.
‘I’ve seen some nasty things’: Life as a prison nurse
A former nurse gives Bill ‘Swampy’ Marsh a rare glimpse into prison medicine – surprisingly declaring that “as a nurse, I’ve never felt safer than I was in the prison environment”.
‘Scrawny British body’: Barnesy’s swipe at star
Rock legend Jimmy Barnes has already set the book world alight with his memoirs – now he has branched into a new area. See what you think of this exclusive extract.
‘Everybody Hurts’: Darkest hours of mega 1990s band R.E.M.
R.E.M. – one of the biggest bands of the 1990s – had just kicked off their biggest year before disaster struck. It changed their future.
Writers share top summer reads
Looking for a good book these holidays? Look no further as some of our favourite writers suggest their favourites.
How Shane Watson fixed his focus – and his game
Cricket legend Shane Watson turned his own game around by changing his mental approach. In The Winner’s Mindset he reveals how to change your own life – a timely read as Australians settle in for the Boxing Day Test.
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