Noongar Mambara Bakitj was created as part of an Indigenous language recovery project led by Kim Scott and the Wirlomin Noongar Language and Stories Project.

When Europeans first settled in Australia, the land withheld many of its secrets from these new arrivals. There were broad rivers, wide plains, and tall forests, all of which to European eyes suggested promising sites for settlement. However, to many of the new settlers, the 'First Australians' (the Aboriginal people) were a puzzle. They moved freely through the country they knew intimately. What few settlers realized then was that the Aboriginal people and the land they lived in were indistinguishable. Invisible Country describes the environmental changes that have occurred in southwestern Australia since European settlement, through four case studies of the development of local rivers, forests, and coastal plains. These stories - compiled through extensive conversations with farmers, ecologists, traditional owners, and others who rely on the land - are book-ended by an examination of the historical perspective in which these changes have occurred. It is a reminder that the land owns the people, not the other way around, and this is the beginning of a conversation about understanding and caring for the land that all Australians are fortunate to live in. *** Librarians: ebook available Subject: Australian Studies, Environmental Studies, History]

This volume marks the birth centenary of a giant amongst contemporary writers: the Australian Nobel prize-winning novelist, Patrick White (1912–1990). It proffers an invaluable insight into the current state of White studies through commentaries drawn from an international galaxy of eminent critics, as well as from newer talents. The book proves that interest in White’s work continues to grow and diversify. Every essay offers a new insight: some are re-evaluations by seasoned critics who revise earlier positions significantly; others admit new light onto what has seemed like well-trodden terrain or focus on works perhaps undervalued in the past—his poetry, an early short story or novel—which are now subjected to fresh attention. His posthumous work has also won attention from prominent critics. New comparisons with other international writers have been drawn in terms of subject matter, themes and philosophy. The expansion of critical attention into fields like photography and film opens new possibilities for enhancing further appreciation of his work. White’s interest in public issues such as the treatment of Australia’s Indigenous peoples, human rights and Australian nationalism is refracted through the inclusion of relevant commentaries from notable contributors. For the first time in Australian literary history, Indigenous scholars have participated in a celebration of the work of a white Australian writer. All of this highlights a new direction in White studies—the appreciation of his stature as a public intellectual. The book demonstrates that White’s legacy has limitless possibilities for further growth.

Notes on the Contributors -- Index

Noongar maam, yok, moyer nyinelangayny bardlanginy wadjela kookondjari-ang. / A woman, and a man, and his nephew were shepherding sheep. Presented bilingually in English and Aboriginal Noongar language text, Yira Boornak Nyininy is an Indigenous Australian story about forgiveness and friendship. Left stranded in a tree by his wife, a Noongar man has to rely on his Wadjela friend to help him back down. *** Yira Boornak Nyininy came from the wise and ancient language of the First People of the Western Australian south coast - the Noongar people. Inspired by a story told to the American linguist Gerhardt Laves around 1931, Yira Boornak Nyininy has been workshopped in a series of community meetings as a part of the "Wirlomin Noongar Language and Stories Project" to revitalize an endangered language. This story is written in old Noongar, along with a literal English translation, as well as English prose styled by Kim Scott.

"A man goes hunting for some tucker with a pack of dogs, but he doesn’t get what he expected. Dwoort Baal Kaat is the story of how two different animals are related to one another."--UWA Publishing website."

A Journey Travelled is a pivotal Australian story long overdue for the telling: how Aboriginal and European people interacted with each other following Britain's territorial invasion in 1826, as well as its ongoing presence for the next 100 years. There has been a wealth of documentary and oral history available to researchers prepared to write from a local history perspective, yet very few Australian historians have accepted this challenge. What has been lacking until quite recently is the sense among historians and the general Australian public that the history of Aboriginal-European relations - not only for the first few years of contact, but for a period of many decades - is central to the nation's story. This extraordinary situation persisted, with very few exceptions, until the intense cultural and political foment that occurred throughout the Western world during the 1960s inevitably impacted the history departments of Australian universities. For the first time, Australians were confronted by the reality of their past as the old reluctance to write about the history of Aboriginal-European relations came to an abrupt end. As a very readable history on a topic that is of relevance to all Australians, A Journey Travelled examines the topic from the vantage point of the town of Albany and the wider Great Southern region of Western Australia, bringing a unique story to life. The book contains maps and images, including early photos of Menang men and women, as well as appendices regarding seasonal cycles, land cleared for agriculture, Western Australian tribal boundaries, and more. [Subject: History, Aboriginal Studies, Australian Studies, European Studies]