Bomb Season in Jakarta: A personal account of a turbulent period in Australian diplomacy

by Grant Dooley

In the history of Australian diplomacy, the Jakarta post between 2004 and 2007 looms larger than any other. In the span of just a few years, a terrorist bomb attack partially destroyed the Embassy compound, killing eleven; the Boxing Day tsunami wreaked havoc on an almost incomprehensible scale; a bombing in Bali killed twenty, including four Australians; Schapelle Corby divided public opinion; members of the Bali Nine were arrested and convicted; and a Garuda flight crashed and exploded in Yogyakarta, killing twenty, including members of the Australian diplomatic corps.

Working in a diplomatic posting in Jakarta at the time, not only did Grant Dooley bear witness to these events, but he was also a first responder in the Embassy bombing and plane crash. And when he wasn't dealing with emergencies and constant terror threats, he had to delicately manage Australia's political leaders, from Alexander Downer to John Howard to Bronwyn Bishop. Somehow, Grant and his wife, Kristan, who worked on the consular staff, kept it all together for themselves and their young family. Or did they?

Bomb Season in Jakarta is an incredible up close and personal account of an unparalleled period in Australian diplomacy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Australia, Asia, History

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2025

Reviews

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like his appearance on a panel at Canberra Writer's Festival I attended, this book was very engaging. I was reminded of just how many major events related to Australia happened in Indonesia in quick succession in the mid 2000s. I remember hearing about them on the news at the time, or personal accounts from people I worked with in Jakarta around a decade later, but I'd never thought of how the Australian Embassy has such a key role in managing these events and how people on the ground actually carry that out. Such an eye opening book by a man who seems to be quite humble and balanced in his perspective.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a front row seat to the tumultuous events of Australia-Indonesia diplomacy over the period 2004-2007 this is an ideal place to start. The author provides a very personal account of the highs and lows of that period and the toll it took on those who were there. It sheds light on the lives of Australia's diplomats posted overseas, graphically stressing that it's not all cocktail parties and rubbing shoulders with the political elite.

[Erin Parkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is captivating. As an Aussie who recalls these events, being reminded that they were all within a relatively short period of time is sobering. A well written account. A must read for anyone who remembers this period!

[Frumenty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accompanied my wife on a 3 year posting at the Australian Kedutaan Besar (Embassy) in Jakarta which ended at about the time Grant Dooley's posting began. She was recalled to post for a few weeks in the aftermath of the bombing - a tough gig! She knew many of the 'A-based' staff who are mentioned in this book. I myself, as a trailing spouse trying to make the most of an opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture, was a bit leery of the 'embassy bubble' and of expats in general, especially the sort that made no effort to learn the language or acquaint themselves with the culture. Consequently, my inability to remember people from our time at the Embassy is a never-ending source of wonder to my wife, who worked cheek-by-jowl with those people 5 days a week and more ("You must remember so-and-so. We had dinner with them."). She remembers events - the important things, that generally entailed demanding embassy work - and I remember trivia: the view from the embassy 'Platypus Club' consisted of a partial reflection of the Embassy in the glass facade next door and above a wall a neon Dunkin' Donuts sign - the old Embassy was a claustrophobic place for someone without a role there. We had a driver, but I walked a lot in the city anyway, despite the heat and smog; I learned conversational Bahasa Indonesia, and in order to acquaint myself with culture and history I joined a venerable expat institution, The Indonesian Heritage Society; I read everything in English about Indonesia that I could get my hands on, but reading in BI was beyond me. That was my world - my wife and I knew rather different Jakartas.
For the information of anyone who has not yet read the book, Grant Dooley's time at the Embassy spanned the bombing of the Embassy, the Boxing Day tsunami, the 2nd Bali bombing, the Schapelle Corby arrest and conviction (marijuana importation), the 'Bali Nine' arrest and conviction (heroin smuggling), and the Yogyakarta Garuda airliner crash that killed several Australians including Embassy staffers - our stay had it's moments too, but Dooley's timing is on another level.
Bomb Season in Jakarta does two things: the first, announced in title and subtitle, is to give an account of events that roiled the Embassy during Dooley's posting, and the second is to show the importance and the day-to-day challenges of the diplomatic profession. The book is well rounded: in an interlude between disasters, an episode concerning Indonesian regulators and Australian mining companies shows readers what 'normal' diplomacy can be like, and the value of diplomacy for the promotion of international cooperation. Dooley doesn't neglect the social life of the Embassy, and is more open about his family life than a reader has any right to expect. This is a personal book about public events - gritty, immediate, and above all involved (writing it was 'a cathartic, emotional experience' p.276). Recommended reading for Australians about to be posted overseas on government service, but with the caveat that this is NOT a 'normal' posting.

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a reader, I was able to put myself in Grant's shoes on his personal account on these events. Also, I appreciate the interactions with the Indonesians during the difficult events, as often times, this is missed in the media and portrayed differently.

[Ari Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haiku review

Rarely has the story
Of a diplomat been told
In such lucid prose.

[Peter Steiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. An excellent account of what transpired in Indonesia during the authors time there. Astounding circumstances around the events that occurred, the detail of the devastation and aftermath makes the reader feel present in the moment. Fabulous.