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Heritage
In a time when desperate people were seizing with both hands the chance for freedom, refugees from more than seventy nations gathered beneath the Southern Cross to forge a new national identity. They came from all over wartorn Europe to the mountains of Australia to help realise one man's the mighty Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, one of the greatest engineering feats of the 20th century. People of all races and creeds tunnelled through a mountain range to turn the course of a majestic river, trying to put to rest ghosts from the inferno of buried memories, unimaginable pain and deadly secrets. From the ruins of Berlin to the birth of Israel, from the Italian Alps to the Australian high country, Heritage is a passionate and fast-paced tale of rebirth, struggle, sacrifice and redemption and a tribute to those who gave meaning to the Australian spirit.
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First published January 1, 2005
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About the author
Judy Nunn
48 books336 followersJudy Nunn (born 13 April 1945) is an Australian actress and author.
Judy Nunn's career has been long, illustrious and multifaceted. After combining her internationally successful acting career with scriptwriting for television and radio, Judy decided in the 80s to turn her hand to prose. The result was two adventure novels for children, EYE IN THE STORM and EYE IN THE CITY, which remain extremely popular, not only in Australia but in Europe. Embarking on adult fiction in the early 90s, Judy's three novels, THE GLITTER GAME, CENTRE STAGE and ARALUEN, set respectively in the worlds of television, theatre and film, became instant bestsellers. Her subsequent bestsellers, KAL, BENEATH THE SOUTHERN CROSS, TERRITORY, PACIFIC, HERITAGE and FLOODTIDE confirm her position as one of Australia’s leading popular novelists.
Judy Nunn's career has been long, illustrious and multifaceted. After combining her internationally successful acting career with scriptwriting for television and radio, Judy decided in the 80s to turn her hand to prose. The result was two adventure novels for children, EYE IN THE STORM and EYE IN THE CITY, which remain extremely popular, not only in Australia but in Europe. Embarking on adult fiction in the early 90s, Judy's three novels, THE GLITTER GAME, CENTRE STAGE and ARALUEN, set respectively in the worlds of television, theatre and film, became instant bestsellers. Her subsequent bestsellers, KAL, BENEATH THE SOUTHERN CROSS, TERRITORY, PACIFIC, HERITAGE and FLOODTIDE confirm her position as one of Australia’s leading popular novelists.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
June 30, 2019
A sweeping tale of bravery, love and human endurance, with the backdrop of the Snowy Mountains in southern New South Wales. We follow the lives of some of the inhabitants of Cooma, a small town experiencing a boom of migrant workers from the nearby Hydro-Electric scheme. Beautifully told, Judy Nunn weaves an evocative story, telling the lives of local characters and those from further afield, filling us in on their background stories, and how they came to the town.
Some characters struggle with prejudice and hypocrisy, but for the most part the migrants manage to integrate quite well. We meet those that have struggled just to exist through WW2, and those with a privileged upbringing that have never known hardship. We laugh, love and breath along with them, as they make a new lives for themselves.
I really did enjoy this book, becoming immersed and invested in the characters quite quickly. I'd be reading and look up to find hours had passed. Yet the big problem I had with this book was how several people with interlocking lives in the past would suddenly and independently, unbeknownst to each other, all end up in one small town on the other side of the world. It was just too big a coincidence to me, and I found it slightly annoying. That was the only downfall of this book for me, and I do recommend it to lovers of Australian Historical Fiction.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Some characters struggle with prejudice and hypocrisy, but for the most part the migrants manage to integrate quite well. We meet those that have struggled just to exist through WW2, and those with a privileged upbringing that have never known hardship. We laugh, love and breath along with them, as they make a new lives for themselves.
I really did enjoy this book, becoming immersed and invested in the characters quite quickly. I'd be reading and look up to find hours had passed. Yet the big problem I had with this book was how several people with interlocking lives in the past would suddenly and independently, unbeknownst to each other, all end up in one small town on the other side of the world. It was just too big a coincidence to me, and I found it slightly annoying. That was the only downfall of this book for me, and I do recommend it to lovers of Australian Historical Fiction.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
January 25, 2018
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4.5 stars
As a West Australian girl born and bred, the construction of the NSW based, Snowy Mountains scheme to bring hydroelectricity to the region from the late 1940’s, through to the early 1970’s, seems to have escaped my attention. One of Australia’s best known storytellers, Judy Nunn, ensures that this pivotal engineering project is not lost in the history books.
Following the devastating effects of World War II, many refugees decided they needed a new future abroad, leading them to seek opportunities offered by countries such as Australia. From all corners of the globe, these displaced people came to the land down under, answering the call for labour, after Australia suffered a skills shortage following the war. One of Australia’s largest construction and engineering projects that commenced soon after the war was the Snowy Mountains based hydro electric scheme. Work on the construction of the various tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts was dangerous, back breaking but fundamental to Australia. Heritage is a grand narrative and a true testament to the colourful cultures that came together to produce this amazing engineering feat.
Heritage is the ninth novel I have read by an author I admire, Judy Nunn. The tried and tested formula of Nunn’s historically based Australian fiction sagas just seems to work every time. I am always astounded by the extent of research and detail Nunn puts into each of her novels. Heritage, which was published back in 2005, is no exception. It just seems a shame I waited this long to read Heritage!
I feel quite embarrassed that as an Australian, I did not know anything about the Snowy Mountains scheme until I read Nunn’s book. However, through the experience of reading Heritage, I was able to develop an appreciation for the many years of hard work that went into the construction of this engineering enigma. As with many of Nunn’s books, I always feel the urge to visit the site of the focus of her novels and Heritage was a book that ensured that I placed the Snowy Mountains region as a must see site.
Combined within this accessible history of Australia’s largest construction scheme, Heritage is the story of a small collection of characters that come from varying areas of the globe to Cooma, the main site of the hydro scheme. Nunn’s exploration of her core characters, such as Lucky, Pietro and Ruth, provides the reader with an insight into the cosmopolitan nature of the Cooma site during the years of the scheme. Nunn’s characters all have interesting, complex and varying personal histories. She is able to give a good cross section of experiences of post World War II life, from Italy, to Israel and Germany. Each of these experiences is individualised and is drawn from the myriad of real life migrant stories to come out of the construction of the scheme. Perhaps the story that struck a chord with me the most was the Holocaust aspects and one of the main players of the novel, Ruth’s experiences. Nunn handles these aspects of the novel with historical insight and a sense of sentimentality that moved me almost to tears. All these stories compounded well, with the exception of a few coincidences.
Heritage is novel that is grand in scale and purpose. I believe Nunn succeeds in bringing the reader a historically grounded book that intertwines the fascinating and colourful personal stories of the pioneering engineers of the hydro electric scheme. Heritage also offers a solid portrait of the post World War II period in Australia, with many of these feelings expressed in the novel felt across the world. Heritage is another winner from top Australian storyteller, Judy Nunn.
4.5 stars
As a West Australian girl born and bred, the construction of the NSW based, Snowy Mountains scheme to bring hydroelectricity to the region from the late 1940’s, through to the early 1970’s, seems to have escaped my attention. One of Australia’s best known storytellers, Judy Nunn, ensures that this pivotal engineering project is not lost in the history books.
Following the devastating effects of World War II, many refugees decided they needed a new future abroad, leading them to seek opportunities offered by countries such as Australia. From all corners of the globe, these displaced people came to the land down under, answering the call for labour, after Australia suffered a skills shortage following the war. One of Australia’s largest construction and engineering projects that commenced soon after the war was the Snowy Mountains based hydro electric scheme. Work on the construction of the various tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts was dangerous, back breaking but fundamental to Australia. Heritage is a grand narrative and a true testament to the colourful cultures that came together to produce this amazing engineering feat.
Heritage is the ninth novel I have read by an author I admire, Judy Nunn. The tried and tested formula of Nunn’s historically based Australian fiction sagas just seems to work every time. I am always astounded by the extent of research and detail Nunn puts into each of her novels. Heritage, which was published back in 2005, is no exception. It just seems a shame I waited this long to read Heritage!
I feel quite embarrassed that as an Australian, I did not know anything about the Snowy Mountains scheme until I read Nunn’s book. However, through the experience of reading Heritage, I was able to develop an appreciation for the many years of hard work that went into the construction of this engineering enigma. As with many of Nunn’s books, I always feel the urge to visit the site of the focus of her novels and Heritage was a book that ensured that I placed the Snowy Mountains region as a must see site.
Combined within this accessible history of Australia’s largest construction scheme, Heritage is the story of a small collection of characters that come from varying areas of the globe to Cooma, the main site of the hydro scheme. Nunn’s exploration of her core characters, such as Lucky, Pietro and Ruth, provides the reader with an insight into the cosmopolitan nature of the Cooma site during the years of the scheme. Nunn’s characters all have interesting, complex and varying personal histories. She is able to give a good cross section of experiences of post World War II life, from Italy, to Israel and Germany. Each of these experiences is individualised and is drawn from the myriad of real life migrant stories to come out of the construction of the scheme. Perhaps the story that struck a chord with me the most was the Holocaust aspects and one of the main players of the novel, Ruth’s experiences. Nunn handles these aspects of the novel with historical insight and a sense of sentimentality that moved me almost to tears. All these stories compounded well, with the exception of a few coincidences.
Heritage is novel that is grand in scale and purpose. I believe Nunn succeeds in bringing the reader a historically grounded book that intertwines the fascinating and colourful personal stories of the pioneering engineers of the hydro electric scheme. Heritage also offers a solid portrait of the post World War II period in Australia, with many of these feelings expressed in the novel felt across the world. Heritage is another winner from top Australian storyteller, Judy Nunn.
May 3, 2018
5 stars, if for nothing else because I could not put it down. I found myself questioning when this book started, given that the blurb on the back talked about the Snowy Mountains, but the story soon grabbed me, and did not let go. The plot moved through some twists to turns, some of which were a little obvious to me, and others which were not, and utterly shocked me. The climax was rather well done, but I would have preferred the resolution to have been twice as long again. I am consistently surprised with this authors work, and I must read more of it.
March 24, 2012
‘They came to change the course of a river and changed the course of their lives.’
After World War II, in the early 1950s, migrants from over many different countries came to Australia to work on the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme. Their destination was the town of Cooma, New South Wales which was central to the Snowy Scheme. This novel explores the stories of a number of different characters, from their lives in Berlin, Israel, Argentina and the Italian Alps to Australia, where their stories all converge in Cooma. Amongst the migrants there are some seeking to bury the past and others who need to remember it. Not all of the Australians welcomed the strangers even though the Snowy Scheme could not have been built without them. The cultural clashes are well depicted in this novel, as are the dislocations caused by war and emigration.
‘Here we are all Snowy men.’
I enjoyed this novel, even though I had some difficulty accepting the number of coincidences that occurred setting up connections between characters and events from their pasts. Still, given the breadth of the story Ms Nunn was trying to cover, these coincidences were probably the best way to keep the number of characters manageable. Their stories are representative of many: over 70% of the people who worked on the Snowy Scheme were migrants. While up to 7,300 worked on the Snowy Scheme at any one time, over 100,000 people worked on the Scheme over 25 years.
I was drawn to this novel by the setting. The building of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme (which took from 1949 to 1974) is the largest engineering project ever undertaken in Australia. It is considered to be one of the largest and most complex hydro-electric schemes in the world. I spend a lot of time in the area around Lake Eucumbene (the largest dam in the scheme), and am familiar with the drowning of ‘Old’ Adaminaby (in 1957) – the town was moved to make way for Lake Eucumbene.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
After World War II, in the early 1950s, migrants from over many different countries came to Australia to work on the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme. Their destination was the town of Cooma, New South Wales which was central to the Snowy Scheme. This novel explores the stories of a number of different characters, from their lives in Berlin, Israel, Argentina and the Italian Alps to Australia, where their stories all converge in Cooma. Amongst the migrants there are some seeking to bury the past and others who need to remember it. Not all of the Australians welcomed the strangers even though the Snowy Scheme could not have been built without them. The cultural clashes are well depicted in this novel, as are the dislocations caused by war and emigration.
‘Here we are all Snowy men.’
I enjoyed this novel, even though I had some difficulty accepting the number of coincidences that occurred setting up connections between characters and events from their pasts. Still, given the breadth of the story Ms Nunn was trying to cover, these coincidences were probably the best way to keep the number of characters manageable. Their stories are representative of many: over 70% of the people who worked on the Snowy Scheme were migrants. While up to 7,300 worked on the Snowy Scheme at any one time, over 100,000 people worked on the Scheme over 25 years.
I was drawn to this novel by the setting. The building of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme (which took from 1949 to 1974) is the largest engineering project ever undertaken in Australia. It is considered to be one of the largest and most complex hydro-electric schemes in the world. I spend a lot of time in the area around Lake Eucumbene (the largest dam in the scheme), and am familiar with the drowning of ‘Old’ Adaminaby (in 1957) – the town was moved to make way for Lake Eucumbene.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
June 15, 2018
Oh my God! This book had all the feels! The premise of the story interested me, due to the links with my own family history. After the initial hook, I found the book a bit slow to start and full of exposition, but that proved necessary to prevent confusion later on. Within a few chapters, I could not put the book down! I immensely enjoyed the Australian setting and the links to Europe and the war provided by the main characters. It was very well researched, providing a sense of history and mystery along the way - revealing key points bit by bit.
Certain moments had my mouth hit the floor, certainly in hindsight a little too coincidental, but at the time of reading, absolutely shocking. The climax was both thrilling and heartbreaking, and the resolution, while not wrapped in a neat bow, left a smile on my face. I grew up watching Judy Nunn as Ailsa in Home and Away, and knew that she had left that career for that of a novelist - boy, can she write! I loved this book, looking forward to reading more of her work.
Certain moments had my mouth hit the floor, certainly in hindsight a little too coincidental, but at the time of reading, absolutely shocking. The climax was both thrilling and heartbreaking, and the resolution, while not wrapped in a neat bow, left a smile on my face. I grew up watching Judy Nunn as Ailsa in Home and Away, and knew that she had left that career for that of a novelist - boy, can she write! I loved this book, looking forward to reading more of her work.
February 26, 2020
I’m so so with this one. A l o n g story. At times I was lost as to what was happening I thought it was different stories for a minute.
I tried to give up but i find it hard not to follow through with things. The only thing that made me follow through was that my father in law is Italian and worked on the snowy hydro scheme. I pictured Nonno who we sadly lost last year. I have pictures of him and other workers inside the tunnels on my wall.
I wanted to finish the love story and see where they ended up. Im proud of me for sticking with it.
I tried to give up but i find it hard not to follow through with things. The only thing that made me follow through was that my father in law is Italian and worked on the snowy hydro scheme. I pictured Nonno who we sadly lost last year. I have pictures of him and other workers inside the tunnels on my wall.
I wanted to finish the love story and see where they ended up. Im proud of me for sticking with it.
August 26, 2013
love to read about Australia, especially the Snowy River Project.
August 31, 2017
It took me until about half way through the book to start really getting into it and then by the end I couldn't put it down. I love the backdrop for the story and visiting all the different countries.
Read
October 5, 2019I love Judy Nunn’s books normally.
But, I was very disturbed reading HERITAGE; with the History what the Germans had done.
She’s a great Author.
It’s just the book wasn’t for me.
And although it upset me so, I still continued reading it to the end.
I had to know what happened to the Characters
But, I was very disturbed reading HERITAGE; with the History what the Germans had done.
She’s a great Author.
It’s just the book wasn’t for me.
And although it upset me so, I still continued reading it to the end.
I had to know what happened to the Characters
July 19, 2019
I was a child and teenager in the time of power dams in NZ and in the area there were so many refugees from the war, and our friendship was international as the family had children when came, this has given me great memories this book and so important as historic in the Australian times
Stories and such diversity of characters came for freedom and the chance earn put their skills to use it to start a life, just as was in the British Australian and Nz prejudge was everywhere the Germans had been the enemy, the friendship develope as Men worked together but in Society this story explains so often how red neck people were it is descriptive associative with the time, foreigners felt so blessed to have chance and took so much and they loved the outback.
Unexpected happenings, people come back from the dead their experiences so different it has altered their thinking and relationships cannot go back, Germany or nazis were able to hide in new countries and the world opened up for society in the younger generations just as opened the land
Judy nunn great writer is she not
Stories and such diversity of characters came for freedom and the chance earn put their skills to use it to start a life, just as was in the British Australian and Nz prejudge was everywhere the Germans had been the enemy, the friendship develope as Men worked together but in Society this story explains so often how red neck people were it is descriptive associative with the time, foreigners felt so blessed to have chance and took so much and they loved the outback.
Unexpected happenings, people come back from the dead their experiences so different it has altered their thinking and relationships cannot go back, Germany or nazis were able to hide in new countries and the world opened up for society in the younger generations just as opened the land
Judy nunn great writer is she not
April 23, 2019
I'm 34. I've spent at least 30 Easter long weekends camped at a spot just down from the Island Bend Dam, which is a large part of the Snowy River Scheme that changed the course of arguably Australia's most famous river.
Without the Scheme, where we've camped pretty much every year I've been alive would likely not exist, so Easter 2019 seemed the right time to read this book that's been sitting in my collection untouched for ages. And it's fantastic. A ripping fictional tale of people from both near and far who were a part of the multicultural community that banded together to deliver one of the more memorable projects in construction history.
I might be biased because I love the high country, but 'Heritage' is brilliant. Highly recommended.
Without the Scheme, where we've camped pretty much every year I've been alive would likely not exist, so Easter 2019 seemed the right time to read this book that's been sitting in my collection untouched for ages. And it's fantastic. A ripping fictional tale of people from both near and far who were a part of the multicultural community that banded together to deliver one of the more memorable projects in construction history.
I might be biased because I love the high country, but 'Heritage' is brilliant. Highly recommended.
May 7, 2020
Another well researched historical narrative from the wonderful Judy Nunn - this time a fictional adventure, mystery, romance set amidst the building of the Snowy Mountains Hydro scheme in the 1950s with the influx of migrant workers.
To expand the scope of the narrative, the back stories of major characters are included involving WW2 and the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
A few surprises along the way, and detailed descriptions that made it easy to imagine the settings.
Although this is a long novel (over 500 pages) it is well worth the read.
I have read and enjoyed quite a few of Judy's books before this and have a wish list of other of her books to read in the future.
To expand the scope of the narrative, the back stories of major characters are included involving WW2 and the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
A few surprises along the way, and detailed descriptions that made it easy to imagine the settings.
Although this is a long novel (over 500 pages) it is well worth the read.
I have read and enjoyed quite a few of Judy's books before this and have a wish list of other of her books to read in the future.
November 24, 2023
Good book blending fiction and non-fiction to cover times in Australian history. The story of the refugees coming to work on building the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme is told as well as their various back stories when they were in Berlin, Italy and Israel. I read about the massacre of Deir Yassin at the same time as the Hamas attack on Israeli families living near the Gaza border. Judy Nunn helps you glimpse the long term horrors associated with war and how people can learn to readjust to society. She also shows prejudice, love and many other aspects of humanity (good and bad).
April 6, 2021
Three stars means 'I liked it'. You cannot 'like' this book. The Holocaust could never be put in this category. It disturbed and upset me but I had to keep reading it to find out how it would end. At 570 pages it was not a quick read. I felt there were too many unbelievable coincidences in the story and sometimes found it a bit difficult to follow the different characters. It was well written and I'd like to read more stories by this author and would love to visit the Snowy Mountains!
January 27, 2018
I didn't like this one at first but the more I read the more it interested me. The horror of the Death camp, the way the Nazis escaped and this one Nazi's trail of murder was so well told as was the story of Ruth one of his victims who escaped. The way they all ended up in The Snowy Scheme is totally believabe given the times I remember and the friends who met there.
June 9, 2020
A villain will always be a villain, in whatever guise. Martin/Klaus becomes more and more despicable in the final shocking chapters. Murder in the Snowy mountains keeps the reader hooked. Gladly Violetta finds closure. Lucky and Peggy survive a ghost from the past. So many intricate interweaving tales. Thoroughly enjoyable!
June 10, 2018
Living an hour away from Cooma made this book come alive for me, my in laws literally live on the same road as the doctors house. I still feel odd when I walk past it. This story was beautiful and had a hint of all the things I love, history, mystery and of-course, the twist.
February 8, 2020
A very engrossing read ranging from harrowing accounts of the Holocaust to evocative descriptions of the melting pot of people who brought the Snowy Mountains scheme to fruition. Certainly of particular interest to anyone with a connection to the region.
December 5, 2020
One of her better ones . My favourite Judy Nunn books are Kal, Beneath the Southern Cross and Territory. I always read these three once a year . Now this one is a new favourite . So many twists and turns .
May 17, 2018
Very enjoyable!
April 30, 2019
A ripper read set in the time of the building of the Murray river Hydro Electric Scheme. Loved the stories set in the time of the Second World War which were continued in Australia. Very clever.
July 8, 2019
Excellent weaving of small town stories effected by the horrors and displacement of world scale events.
April 27, 2020
Loved it. Read after Sanctuary and it is a toss up what is better. Australia owes much to the post war immigrants and this is their story.
May 16, 2020
Loved it!
June 28, 2020
I wasn't sure how to rate this.
I didn't enjoy the story, it was disturbing, but I couldn't stop reading it.
Great research and storytelling as usual.
I didn't enjoy the story, it was disturbing, but I couldn't stop reading it.
Great research and storytelling as usual.
February 2, 2021
Enjoyed this way more than I thought I would as it’s not typically the genre of book that I read.
It was filled with twists and turns that I did not see coming. There were happy moments and sad moments. Overall really enjoyed :)
It was filled with twists and turns that I did not see coming. There were happy moments and sad moments. Overall really enjoyed :)
August 28, 2021
Interesting twist at end.
February 12, 2022
Sometimes hard to keep up with but an excellent read to learn about early Australia.
November 14, 2022
Great Novel - Would be 5 stars but harrowing in places.
March 3, 2023
I absolute loved this book. Fantastic plot, sensational characters and highly engaging writing. Thoroughly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews