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, History

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2025

Reviews

[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!

[Ari Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haiku review

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

[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.

[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.