Shack: In Praise of an Australian Icon

by Simon Griffiths (Photographer)

In Australia, shacks have become our protest against the brick veneer, the place where we unwind on holiday, the workshop that feeds our soul. Photographer Simon Griffiths has traveled the countryside, from Jericho in Tasmania to the remote coast of Broome, to bring us images of shacks that are both familiar and exotic. We meet the shack dwellers—a mix of artists, environmentalists, fishermen, home builders, and socialites—and experience the pleasure of inhabiting spaces that are at once monuments to self-expression and symbols of old-fashioned common sense. Beautifully put-together, Shack is a book that takes us back in history, out into the remote reaches of the famous Australian landscape and inwards to connect with our common desire for retreat and renewal.

Genres: Nonfiction, Australia

212 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Susan Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was published 10 years ago and as I read through it today I fear that several of the shacks have been ravaged by the terrible bushfires this season. Such tragedy.

[Emily Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful stories and photographs that show, as the title states, the history of the Australian icon that is the shack.

[Susan Abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The great Auzzie shack and icon of history.

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a coffee table book than a general reference book it nonetheless does have quite a few interesting shacks pictured along with short stories.

Some good ideas for the tiny house and/or shack builder within as well as some decorating ideas for every home owner.