Australia's Greatest Stories

Some of the world's oldest stories are told beneath Australian skies. Master storyteller Graham Seal takes us on a journey through time, from ancient narratives recounted across generations to the symbols and myths that resonate with Australians today.

He uncovers tales of ancient floods and volcanic eruptions, and shows us Australia's own silk road. He locates the real Crocodile Dundee and explores the truth behind the legend of the Pilliga Princess. There are old favourites like the great flood at Gundagai, the boundary rider's wife, and the Australian who invented the first military tank. There are little-known figures like mailman Jimmy, who carried the post barefoot across the Nullarbor Plain, architect Edith Emery and Paddy the Poet, as well as the unusual sporting techniques of the Gumboot Tortoise.

These yarns of ratbags, rebels, heroes and villains, unsettling legends and clever creations reveal that it's the small, human stories that, together, make up the greater story of Australia and its people.

'Graham Seal has the knack of the storyteller' - Warren Fahey

Australia's Greatest Stories is worth returning to after the first reading. It's one of those books that reveals more as the reader takes the time to stop and think about the long journey Australians have taken over the centuries. It is a gentle reminder that the stories never stop coming and we are all charged with the responsibility of passing them on to future generations. - Queensland Reviewers Collective