Tewksbury Public Library

Girt, the unauthorised history of Australia, David Hunt ; illustrations by Ad Long, V. 1

eng

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Girt

843973156

David Hunt ; illustrations by Ad Long

the unauthorised history of Australia

Girt. No word could better capture the essence of Australia... In this history, David Hunt reveals the truth of Australia's past, from megafauna to Macquarie -- the cock-ups and curiosities, the forgotten eccentrics and eureka moments that have made Australians who they are. Girt introduces forgotten heroes like Mary McLoghlin, transported for the crime of 'felony of sock', and Trim the cat, who beat a French monkey to become the first animal to circumnavigate Australia. It recounts the misfortunes of the escaped Irish convicts who set out to walk from Sydney to China, guided only by a hand-drawn paper compass, and explains the role of the coconut in Australia's only military coup. The nation's beginnings are steeped in the strange, the ridiculous, and the frankly bizarre

For those who've come across the seas -- The unoriginal non-inhabitants -- Intermission -- Rum, botany, and the lash -- On our selection -- A wretched hive of scum and villainy -- Rotten to the corps -- A dish best served cold -- I still call Australia New Holland -- The great economiser -- I think I'll call it Macquarie

From megafauna to Macquaire