Truganini

 

Truganini

Journey through the apocalypse 

Cassandra Pybus

 The haunting story of an extraordinary Aboriginal woman.
'A compelling story, beautifully told' - JULIA BAIRD, author and broadcaster

'At last, a book to give Truganini the proper attention she deserves.' - GAYE SCULTHORPE, Curator of Oceania, The British Museum

Cassandra Pybus's ancestors told a story of an old Aboriginal woman who would wander across their farm on Bruny Island, in south-east Tasmania, in the 1850s and 1860s. As a child, Cassandra didn't know this woman was Truganini, and that Truganini was walking over the country of her clan, the Nuenonne.

For nearly seven decades, Truganini lived through a psychological and cultural shift more extreme than we can imagine. But her life was much more than a regrettable tragedy. Now Cassandra has examined the original eyewitness accounts to write Truganini's extraordinary story in full.

Hardly more than a child, Truganini managed to survive the devastation of the 1820s, when the clans of south-eastern Tasmania were all but extinguished. She spent five years on a journey around Tasmania, across rugged highlands and through barely penetrable forests, with George Augustus Robinson, the self-styled missionary who was collecting the survivors to send them into exile on Flinders Island. She has become an international icon for a monumental tragedy - the so-called extinction of the original people of Tasmania.

Truganini's story is inspiring and haunting - a journey through the apocalypse.

'For the first time a biographer who treats her with the insight and empathy she deserves. The result is a book of unquestionable national importance.' - PROFESSOR HENRY REYNOLDS, University of Tasmania

My Review

This was praiseworthy book that gave me so much more than I expected. It was interesting to learn that the indigenous people were very dedicated to their family and fellow tribe members.  
It is such a painful history with enormous betrayal, especially by Robinson, and hate filled violence by the white invading settlers. At one stage there was a move to give the Aboriginal people the North East of Tasmania, but Robinson prevailed and they were denied this.
The research for this book was obviously extensive and it is written in easy that makes reading easy. 

Rating 5/5

Frenchmans Cap

Written by Simon Kleinig

Frenchmans Cap tells the story of Australia’s most majestic mountain and 'one of the world's great wilderness walks' - a must for any modern day adventurer in Tasmania.
Named by convicts in Macquarie Harbour’s infamous prison in the 1820s, Frenchmans Cap has captured the public imagination as an icon of freedom, adventure, and terrifying danger.
From escapee convicts to bushrangers, from pioneer explorers to modern day rock-climbers, this book brings to life the record of many remarkable and life-risking efforts to reach the peak of this mountain.
Kleinig treats readers with mysteries such as the French female, known only as 'Nicole', who became history's first woman to climb the Cap, in 1935. Vivid descriptions of the treacherous beauty of this mountain will enthral any reader with a love of nature.
This book also records the struggle to protect the Frenchmans Cap region from industrial development, even after it became a national park in 1941. It is a joy to read that this jewel of Tasmania has survived degradation from men and bushfires, and is now protected for future generations to enjoy.

Review

I did like reading this book because it is a bushwalking destination that I have been to several times over the years.  It also brought back memories of people who I have known and also some who I had heard about.  There were also a few people mentioned in the book that I didn't even realise had an association with area.

Sometimes the contents in the book appeared to be out of sequence, but that didn't really detract from the enjoyment of the read.

Rating 3/5

Available as ebook at Amazon and iTunes for $9.99