Dirrayawadha

by Anita Heiss

From the bestselling author of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) comes a sweeping new historical blockbuster about resistance, love and resilience during the frontier wars.

Miinaa was a young girl when the white ghosts first arrived. She remembers the day they raised a piece of red and white cloth and renamed her homeland ‘Bathurst’. Now she lives at Cloverdale and works for a white family who have settled there. The Nugents are kind, but Miinaa misses her miyagan. Her brother, Windradyne, is a Wiradyuri leader, and visits when he can, bringing news of unrest across their ngurambang. Miinaa hopes the violence will not come to Cloverdale, but she knows Windradyne is prepared to defend their Country if necessary.

When Irish convict Daniel O’Dwyer arrives at the settlement, Miinaa’s life is transformed again. The pair are magnetically drawn to each other and begin meeting at the bila in secret. Dan understands how it feels to be displaced, but they still have a lot to learn about each other. Can their love survive their differences and the turmoil that threatens to destroy everything around them?

Anita Heiss is breathing new life into the Australian historical epic. Dirrayawadha (Rise Up) shows the resistance leader Windradyne as the remarkable figure he was and surrounds him with fascinating figures otherwise lost to history. With irresistible imagination and verve, as well as deep research, Anita Heiss’s novels are re-peopling our past.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Australia, Historical, Audiobook, Indigenous, Romance

313 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2024

About the author

Professor Anita Heiss – bio

Anita is a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales, and is one of Australia’s most prolific and well-known authors, publishing across genres, including non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial fiction and children’s novels.

Her adult fiction includes Not Meeting Mr Right, Avoiding Mr Right, Manhattan Dreaming, Paris Dreaming and Tiddas. Her most recent books include Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms which was longlisted for the Dublin International Literary Prize and was named the University of Canberra’s 2020 Book of the Year.

The anthology Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia which Anita edited, was named the Small Publisher Adult Book of the Year at the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards.

Anita’s children’s literature includes Kicking Goals with Goodesy and Magic, co-written with Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin. She also wrote two kids’ novels with students from La Perouse Public School - Yirra and her deadly dog Demon and Demon Guards the School Yard, and more recently, Harry’s Secret and Matty’s Comeback.

Anita’s other published works also include the historical novel Who Am I? The Diary of Mary Talence, Sydney 1937, non-fiction text Dhuuluu-Yala (To Talk Straight) – Publishing Aboriginal Literature, and The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature, which she co-authored with Peter Minter.

In 2004 Anita was listed in The Bulletin magazine’s “Smart 100”. Her memoir Am I Black Enough for You? was a finalist in the 2012 Human Rights Awards and she was a finalist in the 2013 Australian of the Year Awards (Local Hero).

As an advocate for Indigenous literacy, Anita has worked in remote communities as a role model and encouraging young Indigenous Australians to write their own stories. On an international level she has performed her own work and lectured on Aboriginal literature across the globe at universities and conferences, consulates and embassies in the USA, Canada, the UK, Tahiti, Fiji, New Caledonia, Spain, Japan, Austria, Germany and New Zealand.

Anita is proud to be a Lifetime Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, and an Ambassador of Worawa Aboriginal College, the GO Foundation and the Sydney Swans.

She is on the Board of the State Library of Queensland, CIRCA and the University of QLD Press. In 2019 Anita was appointed a Professor of Communications at the University of QLD and in 2020 is the Artist in Residence at La Boitte Theatre.

Anita’s website: www.anitaheiss.com
Storytime with Aunty Nita: https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/lib...

Reviews

[EmG ReadsDaily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging and accessible blend of facts and memorable storytelling by Anita Heiss.

Dirrayawadha (Rise Up) explores the tension between ‘white ghosts’ (colonising settlers) and First Nations people (particularly of Wiradyuri country in the Bathurst area), with an incredible story incorporating love, friendship, culture, displacement, resistance and truth-telling, about the frontier wars.

Traditional language is used throughout, with great effect.

‘Dirrayawadha. To rise up and fight.’

This book offers many interesting perspectives for anyone interested in the history of the area now known as Australia, including colonialism and dispossession of First Nations people.

[Helen - Great Reads & Tea Leaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read and absolutely adored Anita’s book of three years ago, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams). It was groundbreaking and so memorable that I was therefore eager to read her latest, Dirrayawadha (Rise Up). This is a work of fiction, an interpretation of life for Wiradyuri people and others on the land in the 1820s.

‘You can’t discover a country that has people in it, Jack - that’s not discovery. That’s invasion.’

Anita is doing a wonderful job of (rather sadly it has to be so) introducing history through the eyes of the Indigenous. So much of the past and what we learned at school was solely through the eyes of the colonisers. Anita states that, ‘My goal here was/is to give not just a broad understanding of the overall impact of the invasion and settlement of Bathurst but, importantly, the blatant disregard it entailed for Wiradyuri life and sovereignty’. What is not only unique but very clever with this story is how Anita made the link between her Irish characters and what had been their desire for autonomy to that of Wiradyuri sovereignty. It makes it relatable to so many.

‘Then how can we agree to fighting for our own sovereignty and rights back home but deny the rights of the people here? What about their sovereignty?’

There is much to love about this book. I love that Anita used traditional language, not only in the title, but throughout the entire book. I love that it is the perfect melding of fact and fiction. I love the characters and how each has a role to play in making this story the captivating sensation that it is. I love how much I learnt about Australian indigenous people and their great affinity with this incredible land.

‘We must be prepared.’ Windradyne stops and takes Dan by the arm firmly. ‘For what?’ ‘Dirrayawadha. To rise up and fight.’

This book … it will make you angry, it will make you sad but overall you will be a better person for having read it. Such a wonderful book for not only all Australians but anyone interested in Indigenous cultures and their rich yet often tragic tale.





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

[John Gilbert]

Having loved Ms Heiss's previous novel Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray, I really wanted and expected to love this one as well. I just could not get into the story or characters, none of them resonated with me as in her earlier work, my bad. DNF at around 30%, library ebook.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heiss is an accomplished storyteller, and this is engaging historical fiction about the Bathurst Wars: a topic which is only just beginning to be discussed in Australia. Heiss brings us into the significance of the events through the eyes of Miinaa, whose brother Windradyne is leader of the Wiradyuri resistance, while she forms a relationship with an Irishman with his own conflicted loyalties. At a juncture of cultures, Miinaa gives the reader a gateway into the reverberating impact of the conflict. Heiss keeps the pace clicking, and while this is advertised as a romance, the book's arc is driven by the conflict, not the relationship. Heiss emphasises love in a multitude of ways.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of family, invasion and culture. Important use of Wiradjuri language. Gripping reading.

[Cornelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[3 words or so · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘There will be no peace, without justice’

Dirrayawadha (Rise up) is the most recent novel from the hands and heart of indigenous author and proud Wiradyuri woman Dr Anita Heiss. Close on the heels of her acclaimed Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (river of dreams) from 2021, we are gifted with another richly written, historical novel about our past, our present and most definitely, our futures. Releasing on the 31st of July, 2024.

In this novel we are introduced to Miina, a young girl working for a white Irish family at ‘Cloverdale’ who have settled on Wiradyuri land, her brother Windradyne a Wiradyuri leader (a figure of historical importance in the Bathurst wars), Daniel O’Dwyer an Irish convict and the Nugents, the owners of Cloverdale, a seemingly forward thinking, respectful and religious Irish family.
The story traces the lines of unrest, resistance, revenge, and the massacres of the Bathurst Wars, threaded with the complexities of a burgeoning interracial romance between Miina and a white man.

Miina and Daniel are inextricably drawn to each other from first sight, taking to the Bila to talk, connect and grow their understanding and love for each other. Dan, a convicted Irish convict is compassionate, understanding and wants to do what is right. Miina is young but astute, she is worried for her brother, for her safety, for her miyagan (family) and the decimation of their way of life. Will Miina and Dan find a way to survive? What will come of their love?

Dirrayawadha dissects the relations between the ‘white ghosts’ (the settlers) and the indigenous, viewed from the young, innocent but perceptive eyes of Miina. A story of love, fear, loss, and tragedy, we are placed in a time of assimilation, of belief, of ownership, a time of lore versus law, a time of culture and of morals, a time of war and invasion. Dirrayawadha allows us to see firsthand the impact of colonisers, and though this is a fictional account, the truth of colonisation lays heavily in this plot. Like Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray, Dirrayawadha is an important retelling of our histories as a nation, giving voice and life to the past, it ensures that the reader considers their beliefs, their voice, and their own impact on our first nations people then, now and into the future.

With thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to review this eARC.

[Candice Louise (books.bath.wine) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great 5⭐️ listen. A sad and confronting story of the truths behind colonisation here in Australia, but the strength of love, courage, connection and culture is woven through.

[Anna Loder · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an important novel. So well explained and so well done. I love and so appreciate I’ve gotten to learn about the Bathurst War through a story. Loved all the insights; the Irish empathy for self determination, what it means to be good, how important country is…I so recommend this for absolutely everyone to read

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1824, following the huge influx of white settlers across the Blue Mountains to the Bathurst area, a violent war between the traditional owners and the British colonial government erupted. Under the leadership of Windradyne, warriors of the Wiradyuri and other First Nations tribes started a violent war of resistance against the settlers who laid claim to their traditional hunting and fishing places and areas of cultural significance.

Anita Heiss’s latest novel places the Bathurst War at the centre of Dirrayawadha – Rise Up. She describes in vivid detail the brutal acts perpetrated by both sides but makes very clear the reasons why the First Nations peoples reacted as violently as they did against the British settlers.

Windradyne’s sister Miinaa  lives with and is happily employed by an Irish settler family  whose displacement and treatment by the British in Ireland, mirrors that of the First Nations peoples around Bathurst. I really appreciated having this parallel emphasised as I had not considered it before.

Dirrayawadha – Rise Up is a accomplished, engaging work of fiction because it combines important truth telling regarding the dispossession and inhumane treatment of Aboriginal people with an unusual love story, characters from completely different worlds who still manage to understand each others' concerns and frustrations, history and tension aplenty.



 

[Jaq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the use of First Nation Language throughout the book.

Thoughtful parallels between the First Nations and the experience of the Irish.

[Sally906 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dirrayawadha by Anita Heiss is a great book, I enjoyed reading it and will certainly recommend it for people who are interested in both Aboriginal and colonial history in Australia.

Late last year I watched a documentary on ABC Australia called The Frontier Wars, also known as the Secret Wars. It looked at the early colonial history of Australia and proved that there are two sides to every story. In this case, one side were the peoples who had lived here for thousands of years, and the other were the British who just decided the land was theirs for the taking.

While the history taught in schools back in the 1970s (when I attended) told us about the hardships experienced by the early settlers, the establishment of properties, towns, roads and “civilisation”. Very little is told about the indigenous peoples who already lived here, and had done for thousands of years. Nothing was said about how the Indigenous nation groups resisted the invasion of their lands. Nothing was said about the violent history of colonisation, and how the resistance from various indigenous peoples actually resulted in Australia’s first wars, and included organised battles between both sides and open massacres, mostly from the British side. These wars went on for over a hundred years, and it is estimated that at least 10,000 Indigenous people were killed in 416 massacres between 1780 and 1930!

It is against this background that author, Anita Heiss, has set her story, in Bathurst NSW. Dirrayawadha is a story of interracial love set while these Frontier Wars raged. While her main characters are fictional for the most part, there are truths told. It is a work of fiction set against truths that are now coming out - is Heiss’s interpretation of what might have happened, what might have been said, how people might have reacted and what consequences may have really been behind the often biased historical written versions.

The story follows a young Aboriginal girl, Miinaa, who remembers when the ‘white ghosts’ first arrived. She remembers watching the ghosts raise a piece of cloth on a pole and rename her homeland ‘Bathurst’. Now she lives on a property called Cloverdale working for the Nugents who are very kind and supportive of the local indigenous people. Enter convict, Daniel O’Dwyer, an Irish man who Miinaa is immediately drawn too. He understands what it is to be displaced and relates to how Miinaa and her people are feeling.

Miinaa’s brother Windradyne (a true historic figure, and key resistant fighter in the Bathurst war - look him up) is a leader of her people and when he visits he tells her of the battles in other places. She worries the turmoil will come to Cloverdale and hurt the Nugents and her people, she knows her brother will fight for their country if he has too. Of course the war does arrive and the reader sees how Miinaa and Daniel’s relationship grows against this background of danger and violence.

Anita Heiss is a proud Indigenous author and in recent years has been learning the language of her people. The prologue is written totally in her people’s language, which I understand the reasoning behind but I found I skipped through it, as I grew tired of flicking to the glossary for a translation. To be fair, I would have felt the same if the prologue had been written in Spanish, French or German. Other than that little gripe I was grabbed by the story, learnt so much and cried buckets before I got to the end!

With thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for my copy to review

[kaitlyns_library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know a bit about the Wiradjuri history and community (as I teach on Wiradjuri land) and I found this book to be so educational. I flew through this quite easily and loved the incorporation of language throughout (I also appreciated the definition glossary at the beginning of the book).
If you want to know more about First Nations Australian history, I would definitely recommend this book! While this is a fictional book, there are people and events based on history.

[Brad Barlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ngarrarr (sorrow)

I wish I knew the Wiradyuri word for Sorry but Ngarrarr is as close as I can find

[Alisha Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[Cel Jel · Rating 5 out of 5]

All people whose ancestors have come to this land since 1796 and those who have come recently should read this book to understand more the history of differences between those who were here before the colonisation of this land.
The differences between the link to the land of the original inhabitants and those that came and the differences in attitude to the way to live as a society.
The change in environment, the way he land changed thanks to the cutting of trees, and the sheep and cattle on the grasses. Original people and the new comers had difficulty understanding the other's way.
Anita told the story in a way I did not expect, but I think she did thoughtfully, because our historical records show some settlers did work with the original habitants of the land they settled on. Others did not.
I think all people should have this country should read this book. It think it would help with understanding why the original peoples of this land are asking for treaty eventually.
The length of reading was because of things happening and not because I was finding it hard to read.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Heiss’ writing. She weaves a very relatable tale about something that is foreign to much of white Australia. She draws out not only what happened, but the fear that accompanied this. The cleverness with this approach is that the reader is drawn into a more empathic understanding of the daily impacts of the frontier wars, without ignoring the inhumanity meted out to the Wiradyuri and other First Australians.

This is a perspective that we as a country should hear and listen to.

[Sonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such an important story to tell and I enjoyed learning more about the Wiradyuri people, culture and especially their language that is used throughout the book. It is a very moving story, full of love but also a lot of heart break, anger and violence.

For me, I felt the second half of the book became very repetitive with the same messaging and same issues being addressed over and over. I did struggle to pick it up and finish reading from about 2/3 of the way through.

[Em Curwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very repetitive. Really pushing an agenda. Would have loved the storyline to develop more.

[SpentCello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anita Heiss has a way of pulling you in without letting you realise it. The characters are quite ordinary people who you form opinions about and it's not until they die or something dreadful happens to them that you realise you were really quite invested in them. This was the biggest strength of Dirrayawadha and it had me completely gripped for most of the book.

The parts where I lost focus a bit and felt disconnected were the illustrations of the war. In contrast to her sensorial-driven, image-conjuring normal style of story-telling, the war descriptions are skated over and starkly outlined with peripheral mention that things were actually worse than what is described. I understand the choice to approach those sections of the book like that - and on some level I appreciate it because it is very challenging reading about such horrendous crimes, however, it did feel mismatched and made it harder for me to stay in the narrative. Nevertheless, the narrative is poignant and the message clear with a nice sprinkling of romance and a firm grounding of history.

This is truly a powerful and important work of truth-telling. Heiss continues to produce profound, disruptive output that still finds time to be heart-warming and entertaining.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warnings: colonialism, genocide, massacres of Indigenous communities, death of a loved one, incarceration, racism, racial slurs

I absolutely adored Heiss' last book, so when I saw she was writing another historical fiction book set in 19th century Australia with a romance at the heart of it, I was SOLD. And, for the most part, I enjoyed this - as much as one can enjoy the subject matters dealt with in the course of the story.

The characters were painted with care and depth and love, and I really enjoyed the juxtaposition between the Wiradyuri characters and their fight to keep their land free of British control and the Irish convicts seeing their own fight reflected therein.

That being said, this covered a longer period of time than I anticipated and as a result the pacing sometimes felt like it jumped more than I expected it would. And I found the ending extremely abrupt. Perhaps not unexpected, but I turned the page expecting at least one or two more chapters and instead found myself reading an author's note. So. Yeah. I'm really glad I read it and it's a very powerful book. But at the same time, it wasn't what I expected it to be.

[Brianna Barlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 star book! A read for the NAIDOC Week celebrations. Wow this historical fiction makes me feel sad, devastated and sick to my stomach. 90% of the population was gone after white settlement, that is a fact and that fact tells us the settlers were murderers. I am ashamed.

I’m so thankful authors like Heiss allow us to feel deep in our hearts the pain of these people. Probably the most important book I’ve read this year. Thankyou Heiss for the language, many emotions and capturing true historical events within a love story.

[MelD · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up. Windradyne was a bit part in his own story and I really wanted more of his life, thoughts and actions. I also wasn't interested enough in Dan as a main character, nor in his relationship with Minaa. Her interest lay in her relationship with Windradyne and it just wasn't explored enough for my liking

[Thea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sad and original portrayal of life during the frontier wars. I loved reading Wiradjuri language throughout the book. I was born in Bathurst and have visited some of the sites mentioned in the book. I remember learning about the Bells Creek Massacre through my Dad who was researching and reading the Mary Coe book about Windradyne, and just feeling dismayed and let down that I was not taught about this at school. This book is very close to home and I would recommend to those who would like to learn a little more about our true history.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Janet Rayner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly written - it made a movie in my head! But I have no words to describe the grief and sorrow... one of the best historical fiction books I have read this year. 6⭐

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Based on true events, the author portrays the invasion of Wiradyuri land through the eyes of Minaa and the convict white ghost she falls in love with. Beautifully written. Devastatingly sad.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The interracial and intercultural love between Aboriginal Mina and exiled Irish convict Dan at the heart of this historical novel was beautiful. This poignant exploration of conflict between the Irish, the English, and the natives of Australia was heartbreaking.

[nina.reads.books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that Anita Heiss writes historical fiction which tells stories from the perspective of Australian Indigenous people rather than the white colonists. She has such a fresh perspective on the traditional historical fiction.

Her novels uncover Australia's past and centre Indigenous characters. There are elements of historical fact to the fictional narratives. Dirrayawadha means Rise Up in the Wiradyuri language and this language is woven seamlessly throughout the book. This is why I have so enjoyed listening to both this book and her previous book Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) as
hearing the language through the narration is wonderful.

In this book Miinaa has left her family and is now a servant on an Irish settler's farm. The Nugent's are supportive to a degree of the local Indigenous people and Miinaa's brother Windradyne visits when he can. The white people have not long arrived in Australia and there is an uneasy relationship between the local people and those newly arrived. But it doesn't take long for unrest to begin around the community and before long Windradyne is at the centre of the frontier wars. Meanwhile an Irish convict has arrived at the farm to serve out his sentence. Daniel O'Dwyer and Miinaa are drawn to each other. They fall in love despite their differences but will this love be enough?

I enjoyed this book but the truth of Australia's past is deeply unsettling. The loss of land and loss of culture is horrifying. But these stories must be told so that those that refuse to understand what happened might eventually see the truth. What has been the cost of colonisation in this country?

Dirrayawadha is well worth the read and as I mentioned listening via audio gives great exposure to the sounds of the Wiradyuri language. I'd definitely recommend.

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

High hopes but disappointing parts. Chapter 1 and 2 were so preachy. ‘Why are they leaving? I don’t know’, why are they hurtful? I don’t know. Why won’t they respect our lore? I don’t know.

Once it got into the story it was a good read, drawing parallels between the Irish faith persecution and Aboriginal plight. Many one liners to make you think. Again the end was a bit preachy. It had lost me by the end.