Oceania Books

Sven Klinge is the author of the most comprehensive cycling guide books in Australia. By combining cycling with walking treks, he has explored over 300 of Australia's National Parks and State Forests. Born in Sydney and educated at the University of Sydney, Sven now divides his time between accountancy and other writing projects. CYCLING THE BUSH: 100 RIDES IN NEW SOUTH WALES is a fully revised edition, with dozens of new rides, and many others updated to take into account new management policies and conditions. The range of rides includes short one day trips around Sydney to extended overnight cycling/walking expeditions in remote and rugged wilderness areas. Almost all of New South Wales' major national parks are covered, including nearly 50 rides in the popular Blue Mountains alone. Other chapters centre on the wild Morton National Park, the picturesque Barrington Tops, and the great alpine ranges of Kosciusko. From mountain lookouts to secluded beaches, from pristine rivers to limestone caves, from cliff-lined gorges to snow-gum forests, this guide covers 100 of the most exciting mountain and touring bike adventures available to the cyclists in New South Wales and the ACT. Each ride incorporates data on distances, height variation, transport, access, track and rides grades, facilities, map references, and special equipment needed. Extensive information is provided on geological, biological, and historical aspects of natural, Aboriginal, and colonial features along the rides. There are chapters devoted to the development, mechanics, and maintenance of the mountain bike, in addition to sections covering accessories, riding techniques, first aid, food, equipment, photography, and camping. In COMPACT, LIGHTWEIGHT FORMAT, this guide should be POCKET EQUIPMENT for every cyclist and bushwalker wishing to discover this exciting way of venturing into the most diverse parks system in Australia.

Danger Follows is a wonderful book for the Junior High age. Even though I am long out of this age group I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The setting sare extremely well done, from Australia to the islands. Goerky Smith's descriptions are so wonderful, they must be first hand! The situations are those that the Junior High crowd can identify with. The adventures are wonderful, with a mystery to solve. Who is Captain Bligh, and who keeps following the Wymans? It's all up to Jill to come up with the answers in this wonderful book that will interest teens and adults alike.

This book was written for a woman that was born and raised in Hawaii to capture a day in Hawaii as a daydream. This book has 221 pages of amazing photography and were all taken in one 24 hour period of time. Every photo has a detailed description. Book includes photos from Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Oahu and Kauai. This book really captures the beauty of the islands and the beauty of the Hawaiian people themselves. Well worth the money to purchase this book for all of you lovers of Hawaii.

whether you are a resident of Sydney, as I am, or a visitor, or just interested in a very vibrant part of Sydney life, then this is a terrific book.

The photographs are great. It is not a complete history of the Mardi Gras (now 22 years old) - there are other volumes that cover that territory - but it is a terrific 'slice of life volume.

The MArdi Gras festival lasts for 3-4 weeks in late summer (Feb-early March) each year, and culminates in the sequins and glamour, and political statements of the parade. This book is a worthy 'souvenir' of that very sultry time.

The Book Description in the Editorial Review for this book published on Amazon is incorrect. The aircraft piloted by Capt Smirnoff did not land on an isolated beach in Java, but rather on an isloated beach on the north-west coast of Western Australia.

This book relates an important but relatively unknown event in the history of Western Australia, and is a valuable and very readable addition to other information available on the incident. Importantly it adds to the literature available on the history of Western Australia. The graphic descriptions of the bombing of the flying boats in Broome harbour are also valuable from a historical perspective. Historically valuable, but also a rollicking good read.

Bob Halstead writes what he knows. And what he knows for sure are the islands, the underwater marine life and the Best Dive Locations in Papua New Guinea. He and his wife Dinah were the fist to introduce recreactional divers to PNG. Here is the most authentic book you'll find on the reefs in Papua New Guinea's Milne Bay area.
I highly recommend this book if you are planning a dive trip to PNG or, if you are simply dreaming of one.

This book is a color, well-written, no-nonsense look at the many Bali sites by two Bali veterans. Rock is a veteran Indo-Pacific photojournalist who published Bali's first guidebook back in the late 1980s. Hinderks is a professional instructor and divemaster who has worked in Bali and Indonesia for years. A good combination that allows thoughtful insights to each site and the choice of many locales to dive. Bali is covered well from east (places like Sanur, Candi Dasa, Padang Bai, Tulamben) to west (Pemuteran, Menkangen, etc.). Nusa Lembongan, Ceningan, Nusa Penida and the wonderfully laid back Gilis in Lombok are also included.
The superb photography shows the great variety and color of the Bali marine life. This island may be one of the most overlooked dive destinations in the world as it has so many other things to offer. But muck divers love this place for its macro life and rare sea creatures ranging from the big like the odd mola-mola sinfish to the small in wierd fish like the Pegasus sea moth or a pygmy seahorse.
And there's even an ode to the tank carrying ladies of Tulamben.
This is a must have book for anyone venturing into Bali's waters on snorkel or on scuba.

We took Tim's advice to heart, and spent a great month in Bali. We toured the island anti-clockwise and dove and photographed all the sites Tim highlighted. We dove with the operators he suggested, as well as some others, and found that his suggestions were always always best.

Truk offers about the best u/w photography in the world, and this book gave me an idea of what to expect, and how to get ready. And was a great help in identifying some of my shots when i got back. Can't wait to go back. More wrecks are discovered every day there i hear, so i hope the author writes an updated version soon.

This is an excellent picture book about Aboriginal life in modern day Australia. Actually this follows the Tiwi tribe of Aboriginal peoples who live on a small island off the coast of Australia. High quality photographs accompany the text.

The format is "a day in the life of a child", and we follow a tribe who is doing their walkabout. The Tiwi tribe is nomadic and they take journeys called walkabouts, the same journey on foot that their ancestors walked. We see photos of, and text explains, such things as a mother telling a story to her daughter before bedtime near the fire, hunting for snakes and bandicoot. We see how children are equally responsible for hunting and gathering as their parents and grandparents. As the book progresses we learn of certain animals and reptiles that live in the area. We share in a ceremony to honor the dead and see the adults playing with the children at the beach.

The author learned this information by personally traveling with this tribe on their walkabout. The introduction and an afterward explain more details about that to the adults who are reading this book.

This is a wonderful book and it rounded out our studies of Australia. It is not easy to find great books Aboriginal people for this age range-this is a great one! This is one of a series of books about "vanishing cultures" by this author.