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The Brumby Wars

The battle for the soul of Australia
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( 70 ratings, 15 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Brumby Wars by Anthony Sharwood, the narrative explores the complex and contentious debate over the feral horse populations in Australia, known as brumbies. The book delves into the cultural significance of these animals, conflicting perspectives on their impact on the environment, and the passionate advocates on both sides of the issue. Through a blend of memoir and investigative journalism, Sharwood offers insights into the intricate battle over conservation and cultural heritage.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by tales of adventure and are drawn to the natural beauty and cultural history of Australia's alpine regions. The story provides an engaging look at the clash between human efforts to manage the environment and the wild spirit of the brumbies, offering a poignant exploration of community, tradition, and the captivating allure of the wilderness.

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The passionate debate surrounding the wild horses of Australia's High Country and beyond - feral pests that ruin the environment or icons of our national heritage?

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

It's not just a war over horses. It's a battle for the soul of Australia.

This is a book about the intense culture war raging around Australia's wild horses, known as brumbies. It pits a vision of the legendary Man from Snowy River and the iconic ANZAC Light Horse against the spectre of ecosystems destroyed by feral pests. The debate involves powerful politicians and media commentators, and stars an animal mythologised in Australian poetry and prose. But in essence, this is about us. The Brumby Wars is about Australians at war with each other over their vision of an ideal Australia.

To ecologists and people who ski, walk and fish in the High Country and other areas where the brumbies proliferate, they are a feral menace which must be removed to save delicate alpine landscapes. To the descendants of cattle families and many Australians in urban and regional areas, brumbies are untouchable, a symbol of wildness and freedom.

Something has to give. But what? The land or the horses? This war is set to escalate dramatically before we have an answer. Featuring interviews with characters from all sides of the debate, The Brumby Wars is the riveting account of a major national issue and the very human passions it inspires. It is also a journey, a quest to understand what makes us tick in our increasingly polarised country.

Praise for Anthony Sharwood's From Snow to Ash

'Makes for inspirational reading' West Australian

'A distinctive, charming narrative ... a thinking, caring man's trek' Canberra Times

'A joyous read with personality in spades ... A book for the adventurer in us all' Australian Geographic

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780733647208

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 September 2021

Country: Australia

Imprint: Hachette Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 232.0mm

Weight: 400g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Anthony Sharwood is a Walkley Award-winning journalist who has worked in TV, newspapers, magazines and online news sites. Formerly a sportswriter who covered several Olympic Games, he now specialises in the environment, climate and weather. In 2020 he released the acclaimed From Snow to Ash, a love letter to the Australian High Country written after walking the Australian Alps Walking Track and in 2021 he explored the passionate environmental and cultural battle over Australia's wild horses in The Brumby Wars. His books Kosciuszko and Bring Your A Game are both 2024 releases.

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  • From Snow to Ash
    At the start of the hellish, fiery Australian summer of 2019/20, Walkley Award-winning journalist and suburban dad Anthony Sharwood set off on a journey. Abandoning his post on a busy news website to clear his mind, he solo-trekked the Australian Alps Walking Track, Australia's most gruelling and breathtakingly beautiful mainland hiking trail, which traverses the entirety of the legendary High...
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  • Kosciuszko
    Heroes are hard to come by - but there's one man whose legend has stood the test of two centuries, and whose name sits on Australia's highest peak. Tadeusz Kosciuszko: freedom fighter, friend of Thomas Jefferson and champion of liberty on two continents. Bestselling author Anthony Sharwood finds out why he's the hero the world needs right now. Kosciuszko -...
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  • Bring Your A Game
    Australians love sport - and we love a sports clichΓ©. No commentary is complete without a player under an 'injury cloud' or a coach with a 'selection headache'; every game has a 'ball magnet' player. Bring Your A Game is a celebration of Aussie sporting language: a true ornament to the game that gives 110 per cent to sports fans....
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    Longlisted for the 2025 Indie Book Award for Non-Fiction Kosciuszko is a name familiar to all Australians. But how many people know who our iconic highest peak is named after? Bestselling author Anthony Sharwood finds out why Tadeusz Kosciuszko is the hero the world needs right now. A military engineer, freedom fighter and champion of human rights, this extraordinary revolutionary...
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