The Territory : The Classic Saga of Australia's Far North

by Ernestine Hill

Timeless because it is history, timelessly popular because it is so full of life, colour and adventure. This is the story of the first 100 years of white exploration, pioneering and settlement in Australian tropic north.

Genres: Australia, Nonfiction, History, Travel

454 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1951

Reviews

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ernestine Hill visited Australia's Northern Territory in the 1940s and her text from those years is still of significant value today. Whether the old characters she met in those days are gone or not (they are not all gone - it's still possible to find some of them out in the mulga), the stories she tells about them and this extraordinary land are still worth reading, perhaps more than ever. The Territory is still off the beaten track (except perhaps for Darwin and Kakadu) and the colour you get from a book written forty or fifty years ago is still vivid and impressive. At the time she wrote it (if memory serves me, she was a journalist working in Sydney or Melbourne, who was taking time off to travel Australia), the outback was still extremely remote and unknown even to most Australians. She was criticised by some of the people she wrote about, as having no idea what the place "was really like" and for being "a Southerner" who knew nothing about the north. Yet I for one, who lived for four years in the Top End, appreciated her text very much and I think we can be extremely happy today that she managed to get it published. It will take you back to a world, much of which is gone forever. Yet if you get the chance to stop a bit in the north, you'll be surprised what you find, and Hill's book might just put you on the trail of discovery.

Ernestine Hill wrote a number of books about northern Australia, one other of which I've read. "Australian Frontier" is her story of a trip around the coast from Perth to Darwin in the 40s and it is also well worth reading. In particular she tells some stories of the pearling days in Broome and Darwin, which are worth having a look at. I just hope books like these won't remain out of print forever.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on an impending trip into Arnhem Land, I took up Territory again and, skipping the first few chapters and ignoring the last, I started to read it again. I have to say that I enjoyed it much more the second time around and have upgraded it to 4-stars. Anyone interested in the NT and its history really should read at least the middle chapters of this book, which is jam packed with detail of people and places and events all of which give an insight into the land and its people. I was particularly interested in the early attempts to explore and settle Arnhem land. I am looking forward to visiting there in person to put a 'face-to-a-name' and expect that little has changed in the intervening 150 years.

Previous review comments:
This is touted as a 'must-read', in fact some say 'it should be in the swag of every Australian'.
I initially said:
"It may be brilliant, but it's just too hard to read. The best I can describe it is that it is like reading a catalogue of events or animal names or people, some with more excruciating detail than others and invariable, none that can contribute to or be linked to form a 'story'. It's just too much hard work"

But, I have to also add (on picking the book up again and starting at chapter 4):
I took up the Territory cudgels again, it just had to get better. And it did, past the first few catalogues, er, chapters, it gets into story telling time and then the real picture of outback / pioneer territory comes to life. The interesting point is that it stayed this way into the 1970's. These chapters are both enlightening and entertaining and I'm glad i went back for another sitting or two.

The last chapters tend to be less focussed and can be skimmed, i reckon
All in all, it's a keeper after all, it's got some really good stuff in the middle.

[Bluey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having read Hill's excellent book "Water into gold" I was expecting a book of similar calibre. The Territory was very tedious, a real struggle to read; a shame considering my genuine interest in & fascination for the subject matter.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was 23 and travelling around the north west of Australia. Fascinating.