The Story of Australia's People Vol. I

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Compelling and groundbreaking, this first installment of an ambitious two-part work represents the culmination of Australia's most prolific historian's lifelong efforts. The vast continent was settled in two main waves: the first by Indigenous peoples around 50,000 years ago when Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea were connected, and the second by Europeans at the end of the eighteenth century. Each group had to navigate and understand the land they encountered, as well as each other. The long Aboriginal occupation saw significant changes, with rising seas isolating the continent and preserving a nomadic lifestyle, while agriculture transformed other regions. Over millennia, Aboriginal people adeptly mastered the land's climates and resources. However, traditional ways of life faced threats as Europeans arrived to establish a new society in an unfamiliar territory, which both challenged and rewarded the newcomers. The intersection of these two cultures is one of history's most complex encounters. In this work, Professor Geoffrey Blainey revisits themes from his earlier celebrated books, retelling Australia's history up to 1850 with fresh insights based on the latest research, altering his views on key aspects of Indigenous and early British history while exploring new dimensions.