Reading list

Here you will find a list of books, websites and other resources below dealing with the Australian Frontier Wars and First Nations. Our listings of Related sites and organisations and Latest news may also be useful.

Note that this list does not include articles in academic or similar journals. Many of the books listed, however, have comprehensive bibliographies, including articles.

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Frontier Wars
First Nations History
A Military History of Australia (3rd edition, 2008)
Grey, Jeffrey, ed.
A detailed chronological narrative of Australia's wars across more than two hundred years, set in the contexts of defence and strategic policy, the development of society and the impact of war and military service on Australia and Australians.
First Nations History
ABC Radio National
Various producers and presenters
Regularly features programs relevant to First Nations history, the Voice and Frontier Wars, eg. Awaye!, Big Ideas, Conversations, Late Night Live, Speaking Out, Word Up
First Nations History
Aboriginal Australians: Black Responses to White Dominance, 1788-2001 (3rd edition, 2002)
Broome, Richard
Explains the land rights struggle since Mabo, the Hindmarsh Island affair, debates over the 'stolen generation', 'sorry' and reconciliation, and the recent experience of Aboriginal Australia.
First Nations History
After the Dreaming: The 1968 Boyer Lectures (1969 and later editions)
Stanner, WEH
More than 50 years on, these essays on Aboriginals, their society and their vision of the world still inform and stimulate. Contains the famous phrase, ‘the great Australian silence’.
Frontier Wars
First Nations History
An Atlas of Australia’s Wars (2nd edition, 2006)
Coates, John
Covers frontier conflict and colonial wars during the 19th century, as well as the ten major wars of the 20th century plus peacekeeping activities. Includes a comprehensive account of major operations and campaigns.
First Nations History
Atomic Thunder: the Maralinga Story (2016)
Tynan, Elizabeth
The British atomic weapons test series in 1956 wreaked havoc on Indigenous communities and turned the land into a radioactive wasteland. 
Frontier Wars
First Nations History
Australian Frontier Conflicts 1788-1940s and Beyond
Morrison, Jane
Seeks to document the frontier conflicts between European colonists and Australia’s First Peoples. Maps, timelines, names of warriors, memorials, resources, latest news. Separate sites for each state.
Frontier Wars
First Nations History
Australian Frontier Wars
Wikipedia
Comprehensive history covering all jurisdictions, based on authoritative sources.
First Nations History
Australians: a Historical Library (1987)
KS Inglis and others
Volume titles: Australians, a historical atlas; Australians to 1788; Australians 1838; Australians 1888; Australians 1938; Australians from 1939; Australians 1988; Australians, a guide to sources; Australians, events and places; Australians, a historical dictionary; Australians, historical statistics; Australians, the guide. References to First Nations history are in most of these volumes, with many authors, particularly the volumes with dates.
First Nations History
New South Wales
Bennelong and Phillip: A History Unravelled (2023)
Fullagar, Kate
Bennelong and Phillip were leaders of their two sides in the first encounters between Britain and Indigenous Australians, Phillip the colony’s first governor, and Bennelong the Yiyura leader. The pair have come to represent the conflict that flared and has never settled.
First Nations History
Black Founders: the Unknown Story of Australia’s First Black Settlers (2006)
Pybus, Cassandra
Cassandra Pybus reveals that black convicts were among our first fleet. Most of these black founders were originally slaves from America who had sought freedom with the British during the American Revolution only to find themselves abandoned and unemployed in England when the war was over.
Frontier Wars
First Nations History
Blood on the Wattle: Massacres and Maltreatment of Aboriginal Australians since 1788 (3rd edition, 2003)
Elder, Bruce
Draws together most of the information about the massacres of the Aboriginal people which has been recorded in books and journals. It also creates a level of awareness of the scale of the massacres, so that this dimension of Australian history can become part of the Australian consciousness.