Australian environmental historian focusing on rural landscapes and oceans of the Southern Hemisphere. My book, 'Wild Sea: A History of the Southern Ocean', published by NewSouth, June 2018.
The University of Chicago Press is publishing Wild Sea on 22 April 2019, and I’m thrilled to see it sporting its gorgeous whale tail in a hard cover! Thanks to UCP for reaching out to a far wider audience across the high seas, to The Atlantic Monthly for publishing an excerpt in its April edition, and … More Wild Sea embarks on an international adventure!
Thanks to the National Library of Australia for hosting an excellent event yesterday to coincide with its Cook and the Pacific exhibition. I was absolutely delighted to be there, talking about Cook’s second voyage and his legacy of maritime exploration and science in the Southern Ocean. After four days of 40+ degrees C during the … More Keeping cool at the NLA
A friend kindly sent me a cutting from the Australian with Wild Sea listed as recommended Christmas reading. Justine Hyde of the State Library of Victoria also tweeted over the Christmas break, saying that she was reading Wild Sea on a beach holiday by the Southern Ocean. She said: ‘It’s a fabulous natural history book … More Christmas reading
It has been a year since my voyage into the Southern Ocean. Here are a few reminders of the rhythm of life in this region at the beginning of the brief summer season.
While oral histories have been used as a source of information about marine species and ecosystems in the past, this article explores how oral histories of fishers and divers can be read as narratives about human relationships with marine environments and animals. We propose that in listening closely to people who have long and intimate … More Marine oral history: a new genre?
I’m enjoying the process of researching a new book on Australians in Antarctica for the National Library of Australia. Whenever I get the chance, I spend time in the Petherick Reading Room surrounded by books, and occasionally taking time out to delve into the Special Collections materials. How lucky am I! On another note, I’m … More Australians in Antarctica…and other adventures
I was honoured and delighted to present a keynote address at the Oceans Institute’s Annual Postgraduate Symposium at the University of Western Australia on 2 November 2018. The symposium covered a full day and involved some 18 presentations from Marine Ecology and Marine Engineering PhD students, almost all of whom are undertaking their research in … More Keynote at Oceans Institute, UWA
