Books on the History of the Western Australian Goldfields

Hundreds of books have been written on the Western Australian Goldfields. From reference books to fiction and most of all the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the quest for gold and the search for adventure. There are also many biographies and history books some on the broader subject of the history of the region and others on a specific subject or town. Outback Family History would like to review some of these that you may not have heard of and to tell you where they can be purchased if you would like your own copy. We also have a monthly book giveaway!

Where Was That? book review

An Historical Gazetteer of Western Australia by Geoffrey Higham – second edition published 2006. This is an excellent book for those researching or reading old family documents or just interested in the development of Western Australia. The gazetteer lists place names of Western Australia in the following Categories: Places which have been renamed, sometimes more […]

Bullfinch and the Yilgarn Goldfield – book review

Book Review – Bullfinch and the Yilgarn Goldfield by Gilbert M Ralph Bullfinch and the Yilgarn Goldfield had its beginnings with a suggestion from Sir Laurence Brodie-Hall that the unique nature of the community at Bullfinch during the Great Western Consolidated era from 1950 to 1963 deserved recording. Sir Arvi Parbo, who began his mining […]

The Lady Bushranger – Jessie Hickman

The Lady Bushranger: Remembering Australia’s Forgotten Female Outlaw Bushrangers have claimed their place in history as the Robin Hoods of Australia’s colonial past. Unless they were women, then they have no place in history at all. Meet Jessie Hickman, the country’s most formidable and forgotten female outlaw! She had five aliases and she ran a […]

Asbestos in Australia: book review

Asbestos in Australia presents for the first time a multi-dimensional view of Australia’s asbestos story featuring contributions from experts in the disciplines of history, journalism, medicine, law and public health. It also includes first-hand accounts of those whose lives have been touched by the mineral, as workers, asbestos disease sufferers, and lawyers and campaigners directly engaged […]

The Forgotten Conservationist – book review

George Brockway was Western Australia’s first WA-born professional forester, beginning his career at Mundaring Weir in 1922. There he pioneered the bushfire management system for forests that was eventually applied nationally. Moving to Kalgoorlie he became WA’s first “inland forester” and over many years worked tirelessly to conserve the inland woodlands and to promote trees […]