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Lasseter's Reef
Fact or myth? Harold Bell Lasseter and his claim of finding a vast gold-bearing reef in Central Australia has continually been surrounded in mystery. Yet his ill-fated death in the Australian outback, where the land is unforgiving to the careless and the foolhardy, is relatively undisputed.
Despite Lasseter taking secrets to a lonely desert grave in 1931, the story of the elusive gold reef has become a holy grail for explorers from near and far. One such explorer is Vietnam veteran Bill Decarli, who has spent the best part of forty years unravelling one of Australia’s greatest mysteries.
On his maiden voyage to the outback in 1991, instead of heading towards Western Australia like other diehard explorers, Bill reversed his map and headed east towards Queensland. It was there that he struck upon the infamous gold reef, one that Lasseter had never laid eyes on, yet some how had been made aware of its existence. Based on significant new insights, and with a further nine trips to the reef, the key to putting all the pieces together, for Bill, was a man who barely left any trace of his own existence — until now.
A story of adventurous hearts, honesty and resolve, in this new twist, Bill unearths how Lasseter’s claim was another man’s story, the exact location of the reef and how the reef stands to have a bright future.
Despite Lasseter taking secrets to a lonely desert grave in 1931, the story of the elusive gold reef has become a holy grail for explorers from near and far. One such explorer is Vietnam veteran Bill Decarli, who has spent the best part of forty years unravelling one of Australia’s greatest mysteries.
On his maiden voyage to the outback in 1991, instead of heading towards Western Australia like other diehard explorers, Bill reversed his map and headed east towards Queensland. It was there that he struck upon the infamous gold reef, one that Lasseter had never laid eyes on, yet some how had been made aware of its existence. Based on significant new insights, and with a further nine trips to the reef, the key to putting all the pieces together, for Bill, was a man who barely left any trace of his own existence — until now.
A story of adventurous hearts, honesty and resolve, in this new twist, Bill unearths how Lasseter’s claim was another man’s story, the exact location of the reef and how the reef stands to have a bright future.
212 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 31, 2023
Even if like me you hadn't heard of Harrold Lasseter or his claim of finding a huge gold-bearing reef in Central Australia nearly 100 years ago, you should read this book! There's a fascinating glimpse into life in the early 1900s in the outback, photos, some fabulous and larger-than-life characters, and also a fascinating account of how its location may have been mis-understood and wrongly described until uncovered by Bill Decarli. The painstaking research unpicking the man actually behind the reef, Joseph Harding, and the serendipitous uncovering of historial documents verifying Bill's theories, was what makes the book quite riveting. Even so, there are parts of the book that are baffling, such as the apparent reticence at various times by Harding, Lasseter and also Bill to extract gold from the reef, which raises doubts about whether there really is gold in the reef. Bill mentions a resource company is interested in becoming involved - now that he's piqued my curiosity, I'm madly keen to know what they uncover.
February 5, 2023
A fascinating read - peeling away layer by layer the mystery of Lassetter’s Reef. Part history, part detective novel, it’s a fascinating journey as you join Bill’s quest to prove the reef’s very existence.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews