In the summer of 2003 bushfires raged for nearly two months in the alps of north-east Victoria. Instead of being allowed back onto their leases the following summer, the cattlemen were instructed by the state government not to take their cattle up in case they caused further damage. In 2005 the seven year leases expired, and were not renewed, ending a tradition that was being handed on to a fourth generation.The new edition of Cattlemen of the High Country looks at the issue of fire and cattle grazing and the struggle of the mountain cattlemen to retain their leases. It provides an enduring record of a breed of Australians, folk heroes in their own right, whose lives have formed the basis of verse and legend. Each year the cattlemen held their annual muster before the first snowfall of autumn, and brought their cattle down to lower pastures for winter feeding, or sold them at the annual sales. These tough and resourceful cattlemen endured the snow and freezing conditions of winter and the threat of ravaging bushfires of summer. When mustering or checking their cattle, they sheltered in little huts, which they built from the timber at hand. They were masters of bushcraft. The dangers of steep slopes and rocky terrain held no terrors for them as they worked with their hardy stock horses and indispensable dogs. In this book their yarns and reminiscences reveal a characteristic courage and endurance, and an indomitable sense of humour.

A woman's journey of self-discovery meets Bundilla's small-town charm and an intriguing post-World War II mystery in this captivating romance from bestselling Australian author Alissa Callen. The greatest risk of all is love ... Interior stylist Grace Davenport has come to the mountains for solitude and a place to heal after her parents' death. Returning to their beloved town of Bundilla, she plans to restore a local bluestone mansion in honour of their memory. She'll just be there for the summer, until she figures out her next step. Rowan Parker never used to think twice about taking risks until his love for a woman blinded him to all common sense. Now, between his cattle farm in the high country and his work as a stonemason, there's no room in his life for further mistakes. But when he meets the beautiful but reserved new owner of the historic mansion he's been hired to rebuild, he realises his best-laid plans have run aground. Together, Grace and Rowan work to bring the mansion back to life. But when they uncover a hidden trove of post-WWII secrets about the house's former inhabitants, their quest to find answers draws them ever closer. And just when the stone rubble around them begins to resemble a home, a landslide threatens all that Rowan and Grace have rebuilt. With their futures as unstable as the mountainside, each must fight for what they really want, even if it means losing everything... PRAISE FOR ALISSA CALLEN: 'Country life, mysteries, suspense and romance all packed together in a heart-warming story of recovery. Snowy Mountains Cattleman gets all the stars!!!! Alissa Callen's writing is consistently entertaining.' - The Burgeoning Bookshelf 'It was great to pick up this new series by Alissa Callen, even though it's a new town with new people to get to know, I instantly felt like they were old friends.' - Claire's Reads & Reviews 'A free-roaming kelpie, a second chance at love and a dying man's confession make Snowy Mountains Daughter a story that will have your emotions reeling.' - Goodreads review 'A consuming story of past hurts, new beginnings, a long buried mystery and community ties, Alissa Callen's new rural treat will draw in fans old and new.' - Mrs B's Book Reviews 'A moving story with a touching romance weaving its way around and through the many issues facing a rural community.' - The Burgeoning Bookshelf 'Warm-hearted and unforgettable' - Queensland Times

A timely study of change in a complex environment, Where There Are Mountains explores the relationship between human inhabitants of the southern Appalachians and their environment. Incorporating a wide variety of disciplines in the natural and social sciences, the study draws information from several viewpoints and spans more than four hundred years of geological, ecological, anthropological, and historical development in the Appalachian region. The book begins with a description of the indigenous Mississippian culture in 1500 and ends with the destructive effects of industrial logging and dam building during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Donald Edward Davis discusses the degradation of the southern Appalachians on a number of levels, from the general effects of settlement and industry to the extinction of the American chestnut due to blight and logging in the early 1900s. This portrait of environmental destruction is echoed by the human struggle to survive in one of our nation's poorest areas. The farming, livestock raising, dam building, and pearl and logging industries that have gradually destroyed this region have also been the livelihood of the Appalachian people. The author explores the sometimes conflicting needs of humans and nature in the mountains while presenting impressive and comprehensive research on the increasingly threatened environment of the southern Appalachians.