Place of Shadows The History of Noosa

by Phil Jarratt

This comprehensive history of Noosa comes straight from the heart. Award-winning writer Phil Jarratt has lived in the seaside town for more than 30 years, and has played many roles, as both communicator and protagonist, over its transition from sleepy village to iconic resort.

In many ways it is a love letter to his adopted home, but the Noosa story is not always a pretty one, and Jarratt does not flinch from the harsh realities of the cruelties inflicted on the Kabi Kabi First Nation, nor from the wild years when Tewantin was a playground for cashed-up gold diggers, nor from the unscrupulous development deals of the Joh era.

But this is a history filled with admiration for the fighters of the past, and hope for the future.

386 pages, Paperback

Published July 10, 2021

Reviews

[SuzAnne King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still reading. I'm pretty thrilled that Phil has tackled this history going back to Traditional Owners Kabi Kabi/Gubi Gubi times. Having read various accounts of early Noosa, K'gari and surrounds by other authors (Please visit the local History room of our Noosaville library-it is afascinating collection) this work pulls threads together for me. Of particular interest is the section on the development of Noosa and how the Noosa Parks Association, together with Playford, Abbot and Gloster, turned the tide by "initiating much-needed conservation, town planning and lifestyle protection reforms". In 2016 I wrote a light-hearted review of Dr Michael Gloster's book "The Shaping of Noosa" for the Noosa Today paper because I wanted everyone who loves this place to read and know that it didn't get this way by accident. Now more than ever we need to revisit these stories because Noosa's special place in the world is again under threat.