Whistler's Bones: A Novel of the Australian Frontier

by Greg Barron

At the age of fifteen Charlie Gaunt left his home in Bendigo and signed on as a drover with Nat Buchanan. Two years later he was a key man on one of Australia’s greatest cattle drives – the Durack family’s epic journey from Cooper’s Creek, Queensland – to the Kimberley.

Stumbling on Charlie’s largely unknown story, and filling in the gaps with fiction, the author has created a novel unique in Australian literature. An unprecedented adventure, and a passionate love story – Whistler's Bones is both a celebration of the good things in the settlement of Northern Australia – and a damning indictment of the bad.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical

306 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 2017

About the author

Crime, terrorism, history, international politics and the wide open spaces of outback Australia are all passionate interests of author Greg Barron. He has lived in North America, New South Wales and in and around Katherine, Northern Territory. He once crossed Arnhem Land on foot, and has a passion for the Top End landscape.

His books, published by HarperCollins Australia and Stories of Oz Publishing, are gutsy pageturners that tell the truth about the world. Rotten Gods was long listed for the prestigious Ned Kelly awards, and has been lauded as "one of the most sophisticated geopolitical thrillers ever written." Savage Tide was described by ABC Radio reviewer Rob Minshull as; "Both supremely intelligent and written at breathtaking pace."

Camp Leichhardt is the first of his Australian stories to see print, and was serialised in 2016 to wide acclaim. Rotten Gods, Savage Tide, Voodoo Dawn and Lethal Sky all feature Marika Hartmann, the Australian intelligence agent who has won the hearts of readers all over the world.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When his drunken and aggressive father died, and his mother let him know they were destitute, fifteen-year-old Charlie Gaunt left home with the only thing he owned – his beloved horse Constance. It was the 1880s in Australia; bushrangers including Ned Kelly and his gang were on the roads; escaped prisoners and desperados from the gold rush were the types young Charlie had to avoid. As he gradually made his way north from Bendigo in Victoria, through New South Wales and into Queensland, taking work along the way, his youth and naivety slowly changed to maturity.

Charlie’s first big job was as a drover for Nat Buchanan – Charlie was a good horseman and the job gave him much experience in the ways of the bush. When he met up with the Durack family, his knowledge and previous experience as a drover led Charlie to be signed on for the biggest journey of his young life. The cattle drive was immense – the thousands of head of cattle; the men in each other’s company day in and day out without respite; the fear of the unknown and the constant threat from marauding Aboriginals – all proved a mighty challenge over the more than two-year period that was the Durack’s cattle drive from Cooper’s Creek in Queensland to the Kimberley in Western Australia - a journey of approximately 4800 kilometres.

Whistler’s Bones is a unique and fascinating novel by Aussie author Greg Barron, which has taken the true story of Charlie Gaunt, the Durack family and an epic journey, and blended it with fiction, creating an interesting part of Australia’s history, albeit fictionalised. The research by the author is meticulous, the result poignant. The author amazes me with his diversity – from fast paced thrillers, to Australian history, he never disappoints. Highly recommended.

A link of interest which I found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick...

With thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.

[Lily Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greg Barron, I take my hat off to you. I thought this was brilliant.
Whistler's Bones is a fascinating story based on the life of drover Charlie Gaunt who was one of the trail-blazing horsemen and drovers of the 1880s driving cattle across Australia into the Northern Territory to establish the vast pastoral stations of central and northern Australia.
Boy, this is a wrenching tale. Through the eyes of Charlie, it is a no-holds barred view of 'white man' life and attitudes at the time. With more than 100 years of hindsight, the attitude of those drovers and cattle barons when it came to conquering the land as well as the native Australians - some of whom increasingly opposed them - but others who assisted them, makes for compelling and confronting reading.
Charlie has all the flaws of a young man who feels immortal. What starts out as an innocence is stripped from him within years of his setting off for adventure on a horse called Constance, and Charlie does terrible things for his bosses, and out of loyalty to his colleagues, and sometimes simply to survive in an unforgiving land, and his actions both shape, drive and haunt him the rest of his days.
The bulk of the story narrates a two-year cattle drive across Australia with the Durack family, and recounts the many trials of the period - malaria for the men, sickness of cattle, loneliness, stampedes, starvation, drought, and as the drove moves into its second year, more and more increasingly hostile encounters between the 'invading' cattle, horses and stockmen and the various indigenous tribes of the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Yet there is a love story at the centre of the tale too. The innocent Charlie who starts this story and for whom a great pleasure is to drink a glass of 'Creaming Soda' in a pub... is not the Charlie who becomes bitter and jealous and resentful when the love of his life leaves him.
I found Charlie's loss of this innocence terribly sad. Although of course, that's life.
The descriptions of the Australian outback are breathtaking. I have travelled some of the north of the country in 1999, in a 4WD and on reasonable roads, not horseback. I've been to Lawn Hill Station and Borroloola, and I remember vividly the vast and ancient sense of the land. It was wonderful to revisit that space, colour, scent and memory of Australia in these pages.
I don't know why I don't expand my reading with more early Australian history - I really do enjoy these factual stories entwined in fiction, and I might make it a goal to read more in this time period.
Bravo, Greg Barron. Your writing is amazing.

[Anthony English · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his introductory Author’s Note, Greg Barron describes Whistler’s Bones as “a work of fiction blended with fact”. The principal source of facts about the central character and narrator, Charlie Gaunt, is a series of newspaper articles he wrote as an old man in the 1930s about his experience as a cattle drover in the wilds of northern Australia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Gaunt wrote little about his feelings or his personal life, so Barron speculated intelligently and with empathy to create this round, complex and convincing protagonist. To inform his speculation about Gaunt’s attitudes and behaviour when dealing with Aboriginal and other people in that era, there is much evidence that Barron delved deep into history, geography, and anthropology. The result is an unwavering sense of time, place and character. Gaunt and the other characters, regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, gender and likeability, have all become real people to me. On likeability, there is much to like about Gaunt but at least as much to dislike, which is one of the reasons Barron has succeeded in his efforts to create a convincing human being. He presents Gaunt warts-and-all.

To me this novel does not have a plot, which is not a complaint. Rather, Barron has chronicled a hardy man’s development from underprivileged youth to old age, with a focus on the formative, sometimes soul-destroying years of his life as a long-haul cattle drover. Charlie Gaunt’s early learning curve relates to his unrefined, pragmatic grasp of the need for drovers to work with nature instead of trying to conquer it. Gaunt's chronicle moves on and on, like a cattle drive through a beautiful but tough physical environment, which Barron presents as a character in itself. The cattle are also characters, thanks to Barron’s grasp of their individual and herd behaviour. I do not know his intention, but I found the cattle drive to be a metaphor for the ups and downs of life itself. The moral issues are engrossing, and I often wondered what I would have done in the historical and geographical context of Gaunt’s decision-making. The pragmatics of survival under stress were prominent in my thoughts. When I was about thirteen my grandfather, a veteran of the First World War, told me there weren’t many moral philosophers on the Somme.

This is an excellent novel. I enjoy Greg Barron’s smooth and rich writing style. Combined with aspects of content, it brings Larry McMurtry to mind.

[David Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greg Barron makes the past come alive with this entertaining and gripping tale from Australia's heritage. He is a master of historical novels such as this. I felt as though I knew the characters and shared their experiences. Definitely a five star read!

[Jenn J McLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique perspective of early life in Australia, set in the harsh outback and detailing (with a fascinating blend of fact and fiction) an important part of history, based on the life of Charlie Gaunt, an accidental drover and trail-blazer in the 1880s. This tale is about driving cattle across Australia into the Northern Territory where the vast pastoral stations of central and northern Australia were established.

[Balthazar Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

After his father dies, 15 year old Charlie Gaunt leaves home in search of adventure. It's 1883 Australia when the county is still a collection of colonies and no national government. Life shaping adventure is what Charlie finds as he works as a stock man in western Queensland and the Northern Territory. He also finds love and this shapes the rest of his life as he also looses this love.

This is really a story of finding love, loosing it and spending the rest of your life trying to reclaim it.

It's an eye opening account of life in the Australian outback and the clash between the original inhabitants and the advance of white man and his culture. It's an enjoyable read, though sad at times.

[Stef O'connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, entertaining, easy to read with plenty of references to parts of Australia that I’ve travelled through.

Just a note that 1938 was not a leap year.......spoiler? I don’t think so but will call it one just in case

[Robyn Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read by Greg Barron but this one will stay with me for a long time. He has captured the real essence of the outback but hasn't wavered in telling the terrible and bloody history of the the frontier wars. The courage of those first drovers was evident in every page, as was the violence that advanced with them across the continent.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whistler's Bones is a sprawling frontier adventure that tells the story of an absolute nugget of Australian history, Charlie Gaunt. Gaunt's adventures take him through a number of significant events in Australian and world history - a veritable Forrest Gump of his times. The book is a great read, and I think one of the author's finest.

The story of Gaunt, a real-life historical figure, represents a largely untapped vein although many of the people wrapped around that vein, including the Duracks and Nat Buchanan, are better known. As a young teen, Charlie Gaunt leaves his family and life in 1880s Bendigo to find what sort of life he can make for himself armed with little more than some potential as a horseman. Thus begins the story that takes him across Australia, and across the world.

The strength of this novel for me, aside from the enthralling story telling, lay with the unfiltered retelling of Gaunt's story. Although an interesting and intriguing character, he is abundantly flawed. Some of his actions are indefensible and deplorable. In Gaunt, Whistler's Bones delivers a boy-to-man character we can at times admire, at times sympathise with and at times despise.

The author's decision to focus primarily on Gaunt's early manhood, and retell the rest of his story in brief, underpins the fondest memories and greatest regrets that would stay with Gaunt for life. In resisting the temptation to lionise Gaunt and turn him into a champion of causes and rights that exist now but didn't then, Barron provides a near-as-possible to accurate rendering of the man and his times. And while I'm sure the author is uncomfortable with the terms used and attitudes towards aboriginal Australians at the time, they are present in the book in unvarnished detail because to modify them would be revisionism.

Having grown up in Goulburn and being educated at St Pat's, the story of the Durack family and their epic cattle drive across to the Kimberleys was known to me, but I have to admit not in such detail or breadth. Whistler's Bones is a worthy addition to Australian literature and is deserving of being included in Australian school curricula where Gaunt's choices, the treatment of indigenous Australians and frontier life in Australian would provoke informative discussions and perhaps a desire to read more of this era and better understand it. This painstakingly researched book has certainly sent me in that direction.

I've read a number of Greg's books, but enjoyed this the most. Barron is a fine author at the peak of his powers telling stories he is passionate about. Five stars.

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, while an enjoyable read, it is such a woeful, emotional rollercoaster. Charlie Gaunt definately lived a fair few lives within his lifetime. The tales told in this book would make any man want to hide under a rock til it was over.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing story about Australian Drover Charlie Gaunt.

I was looking for an Australian adventure type of story set in the 1800s and this was perfect.

Greg Barron has created a wonderful story that tells the life of Charlie with both excitement, adventure, sadness, and regret - leaving me sitting quietly for a moment after reading reflecting on the life of Charlie.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confronting story of the spread of colonisation into the northern Australian outback and the attendant border wars, the people and atrocities on both aboriginal and settler sides, the rawness of the times and the racism and the gradual enlightenment of some of the settlers on the merits of their cause. I loved the old Australian slang it revived - e.g. clobber for clothing and many others. 3.5* overall. Not for the faint-hearted.

[Zoë Routh · Rating 5 out of 5]

bloody brilliant!

I raced through this gritty tour de force, with the Outback hot and alive in its pages.

I loved the characters, the heartbreak, the history, and the deeper questions of what is a life, and what makes a life meaningful and is redemption possible.

Loved it!

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

an good story from the old days on the wild Australian frontier, up in northern Australia

[Jenny Kirkby · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more authentic stories about droving through the northern states of Australia. Acknowledging the violence rather than simply idolising the feats of stockmen was refreshing (though horrifying) to read. Young Charlie Gaunt came alive but beyond his droving years the reader learnt very little about him other than brief reflection of where he went and what he did next.

[Linda Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening.
Shocking.
Sad.

Reality bites!

[William Tune · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mighty good read at that!

Telling and troubling, moving and at times even romantic.
How civilized we all are now - resting as we do on the bones, the crimes, the passion and the many lives than have gone before!

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Blurb…

In 1880, at the age of fifteen, Charlie Gaunt left his home in Bendigo and signed on as a drover with Nat Buchanan. Two years later he was a key man on one of Australia’s greatest cattle drives – the Durack family’s epic journey from Cooper’s Creek, Queensland – to the Kimberley.
Drawing on Charlie’s largely unknown story, and filling in the gaps with fiction, the author has created a novel unique in Australian literature. An unprecedented adventure, and a passionate love story – Whistler's Bones is both a celebration of the good things in the settlement of Northern Australia – and a damning indictment of the bad.

My thoughts…

I have read all Greg Barron's earlier works and loved them. He never disappoints. His plotting, pacing and the pride in making every word count makes a Barron book a delight every time. Rather than bashing out one book after another, Barron is an author who cares as much about the reader’s experience as he does the story he’s telling.

Whistler’s Bones is a step away from his earlier general fiction novels. The book's unique docu-drama style (blending fact with fiction) is expertly handled and the storytelling enhanced by rigorous research and the resultant journal entries throughout.

The story is about Charlie Gaunt, a young man with a fascinating life, who made his way in the harshest of times — living, loving and working the great Australian landscape and all that comes with it.

The manner in which this story is written allows the reader a glimpse into the real world of the men in our outback and whilst different and uniquely Australian, the storytelling is authentic and passionate and I loved reading every word.

Well done Greg and I look forward to more insightful stories.

This review is also posted on http://www.readroundoz.wordpress.com

[Don Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greg Barron's Whistler's Bones is a novel written by a craftsman, whose ability to draw the reader into the tale is undoubted. Even when the story horrifies you, you'll want to keep reading.

However, it is not a story for the faint hearted or the squeamish. It is a harsh tale told in the context of the day, about hard men and tragic events. It evokes a gamut of emotions in the reader; empathy, sympathy, hatred and, at times, lack of respect for the character, along with despair of the seemingly inevitable racial conflict faced by dispossessed and dispossessor alike.

Greg has taken on the unenviable task of researching the story and writing about a man whose character flaws are manifold. However, whether fiction or history; and obviously a studied combination of both, he has managed his goal well.

Writing about an admirable character is, by comparison, easy; but writing about Charlie Gaunt, a man who was possibly at best a capable mongrel and at worst evil, is no mean feat. Whether his flaws were inherent or shaped by the influence of older men is perhaps immaterial but here is also a softer loving and dutiful side to him, nonetheless.

Greg Barron has written a book about Charlie Gaunt you'll never forget. I recommend his novel for its history and his descriptive, compelling narrative of the people, the times and the landscape.

Don Douglas

[Lorraine Manifold · Rating 1 out of 5]

The novel is very well written, but I found I was bored because it's yet another novel about a white man's world: 99% of the novel is about men, while the women are just eye candy. The only relationship between a man and a women is just based on lust. This novel would not pass the Bechdel test. The Bechdel test requires a book to have 1) at least two women in it, 2) who talk to each other, 3) about something other than a man. I realise that the author is trying to recreate the life of Charlie Gaunt in the 1880's, but while the author does create fiction in the interactions between men, there are very little interactions between the women in his family. I also don't recommend that any aboriginal person read it as it contains all the racist attitudes and cruel behaviour already too well known to them. In fact, while knowing history is important to not repeat it, I'm not sure that a novel from a white man's perspective about mistreating aboriginals is something we need to continue to have. A better way to raise awareness of the equality of all human beings would be to write a novel from the Aboriginal's view point. All in all, this was a very white male supremacist historical novel.

[victor turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

True Australia ?

I became lost in these (?) fictional/true pages of life of a cattle drover in Australia, although not brave enough, I would have liked to experienced (some) of the (to me) freedom of the wild open land before it became 'civilised', I'll be on the lookout for books in the same vein.

[Julia Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

whistlers bones

A very captivating story of one young man's life, working his way across Australia droving, the killing of the indigenous people, who white man thought, them inferior. A tragic story of living on the road, lost love,one man's journey to find himself, through many different jobs over his life time, dying alone

[George Andrew Laurenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whistler’s Bones

Great yarn that tells the story of Aboriginal conflict with Cattle Barons in late 1800s. A shameful side of Australian history told in an absorbing way through the eyes of a young drover.

[anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. As someone with aboriginal relatives it was definitely hard to read in places but that is the way it was! There is not a lot written of the era and this book definitely brings to life the hardships and daily struggles of that time.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very different story of early Australia

I really enjoyed reading this story although was quite shocked at the rawness of the drovers towards the Aborigine. I will continue on and read another of Greg Barron’s Australian themed books to see if this continues.

[Steve Pearson]

great adventure about something i didnt realy know ,it as created a interest in me , i really enjoyed Greg Barons writing style , Will research further

[Jillian Higham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story about the drovers who worked across northern Australia opening up the cattle routes and developing stations for the big bosses. Charlie Gaunt was a likeable character and his adventures and interactions with other drovers was enthralling. The way the aboriginals were treated was appalling and you wonder what might have been different if their women weren't taken and they were treated with more respect.

[barna richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written tale of Australian outbackdifficult to


It is hard to understand how a man could remember so much: the people, the rivers mountains flora and all he encountered. I realize some was filled inlater,but much was from his memory, I believe

[Murray Francis Maclean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

Wonderful story, thoroughly recommended as a tale of early Australia; the roughness of the cattle droving tracks; and life in the bush.

[Phil Kearse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book it really brings the outback to life. The author has filled in the gaps of the original manuscript