Series: Great Australian Stories

Yarns and memories that capture the experience of policing in the bush, gathered by the inimitable Bill 'Swampy' Marsh, bestselling author of Great Australian Flying Doctor Stories and Great Australian CWA Stories. 'I tell you, you meet some strange characters in this game ...' Boasting the biggest beats in the world—some as large as France—Australia's outback police have seen it...

Us firefighters do more than fight fires. We also assist those who have just gone through what's probably the worst experience of their lives. The devastating 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires threw the importance of our volunteer firefighters into sharp focus. But these brave men and women don't just step up to protect life and property in fires; they are also...

Yarns and memories that capture the experience of policing in the bush, gathered by the inimitable Bill 'Swampy' Marsh, bestselling author of Great Australian Flying Doctor Stories and Great Australian CWA Stories. From some of the biggest beats in the world come these unforgettable tales of adventure and misadventure, drama and mayhem, larrikinism and laughter. After there'd been a robbery...

People of the bush regard their working dogs as the nation's greatest asset. Uncomplaining, tough, never needing to be fussed over, and hugely loyal, dogs rarely go on strike, don't hit the grog, only occasionally answer back, never ask for a pay rise, scarcely take a sickie and are always ready with infectious enthusiasm to start the day! Drawn from...

After I'd got him out of harm's way, I dived back in yet again and swam out past the surf-break, out to where the other two lads were floundering. Then, one at a time, I took them back onto the rocks - all done against the raging rip and wild surf. By then an hour or so had passed. Still,...

Marsh knows how to spin a yarn - Gold Coast Bulletin Whether they're carting produce, stock, fuel, or even (unbeknown to them) dead bodies, there's one thing that can be said about outback truckies - they're a colourful bunch. Meet the outback truckies who brave interminable distances, searing heat, raging floodwaters, and foot-deep bulldust to transport goods all across this...

"Where's your thumb?" the doctor asked the injured ringer. "Oh, we stuck it over there on the gatepost, fer safe keepin'." And just as the doctor turned around to the gatepost, he saw a crow heading skyward, thumb and all. From the pilots, doctors and nurses who spread their 'mantle of safety' throughout the remote inland of Australia, as well...

Unforgettable tales of adventures and misadventure, larrikinism and laughter. 'If you are going to enter a boat, here's a few instructions as to how to build the thing. Obviously, you need thousands of empty beer cans, which is pretty to get easy up here. A couple of months of hanging around a pub will soon sort that out, or a...

Bill 'Swampy' Marsh has been on yet another adventure, this time gathering more stories from outback towns and pubs; from the green fields of Tasmania to the vast red sands of Simpson Desert. The unique characters of the outback will touch your heart as Swampy presents all the drama and delight of life in remote Australia. There are tales of...