This book presents inter-disciplinary perspectives on the maritime journeys of the Macassan trepangers who sailed in fleets of wooden sailing vessels known as praus from the port city of Makassar in southern Sulawesi to the northern Australian coastline. These voyages date back to at least the 1700s and there is new evidence to suggest that the Macassan praus were visiting northern Australia even earlier. This book examines the Macassan journeys to and from Australia, their encounters with Indigenous communities in the north, as well as the ongoing social and cultural impact of these connections, both in Indonesia and Australia.

In this memoir Ricardo Burguete, a Spanish soldier who served in the Philippines from 1896–1897, describes his journey to the Philippines, his impressions of the country, and his experiences in fighting Filipino insurrectionists in his 1902 memoir. The account, written by a young, impressionable patriot, conveys candid characterizations of the inhabitants of the country, reflections on the causes of the insurrection, and a detailed account of the author’s actions in support of continued Spanish rule.