Forgotten Country: A Short History of Central Australia

by Alan Powell

"Central Australia has, with reason, been seen as the last frontier of Australia and, politically, the forgotten country. This book distils the conclusions of Emeritus Professor Alan Powell, reached after more than four decades of exploring north Australia and researching the history of white settlement and the culture dash with the original people, through war and peace, in the Northern Territory. Powell cuts through the immense array of Territory yarns and learned tomes that reflect what we know of the Centre and moves straight to the core factors of its history: the visionary explorers, driven telegraph men and miner, the cattlemen and the dreamers who felt the lure and sweep of this stark, beautiful heart of Australia and endured the impact of war, conflict and adaptation in a harsh unforgiving environment. He raises hard questions on the structure and government of the area and the past, present and future of the mix of its peoples." - Back cover

Paperback

Published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Nick Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

This short book gives a concise history of Central Australia, particularly the 100 years from 1870-1970. Its writing is cogent and Powell provides plenty of primary sources, both written and visual, to provide the reader with a comprehensive account of the region's humourless development.

In the final pages, Powell provides his own view on the complexity of the current disarray in Centralia. Emphasising the complexity and interdependence of different social groups within Alice Springs, as well as the sometimes uninformed views held by Australians in the coastal cities, he declares that after it taking 200 years for this difficult situation to develop, it will take another 200 years to resolve it.