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The Explorers: Stories of Discovery and Adventure from the Australian Frontier
A lively collection of extraordinary stories of adventure and discovery, The Explorers tells the epic saga of the conquest and settlement of Australia. Editor Tim Flannery selects sixty-seven accounts that convey the sense of wonder and discovery, along with the human dimensions of struggle and deprivation, which occurred in the exploration of the last continent to be fully mapped by Europeans. Beginning with the story of Dutch captain Willem Janz's 1606 expedition at Cape York -- the bloody outcome of which would sadly foreshadow future relations between colonists and Aboriginal peoples -- and running through Robyn Davidson's 1977 camelback ride through the desolate Outback deserts, The Explorers bristles with the enterprise that Flannery explains as "heroic, for nowhere else did explorers face such an obdurate country."
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1954
20 people are currently reading
502 people want to read
About the author
Tim Flannery
132 books390 followersTim Flannery is one of Australia's leading thinkers and writers.
An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books. His books include the landmark works The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into more than 20 languages and in 2006 won the NSW Premiers Literary Prizes for Best Critical Writing and Book of the Year.
He received a Centenary of Federation Medal for his services to Australian science and in 2002 delivered the Australia Day address. In 2005 he was named Australian Humanist of the Year, and in 2007 honoured as Australian of the Year.
He spent a year teaching at Harvard, and is a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and the National Geographic Society's representative in Australasia. He serves on the board of WWF International (London and Gland) and on the sustainability advisory councils of Siemens (Munich) and Tata Power (Mumbai).
In 2007 he co-founded and was appointed Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a coalition of community, business, and political leaders who came together to confront climate change.
Tim Flannery is currently Professor of Science at Maquarie University, Sydney.
An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books. His books include the landmark works The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into more than 20 languages and in 2006 won the NSW Premiers Literary Prizes for Best Critical Writing and Book of the Year.
He received a Centenary of Federation Medal for his services to Australian science and in 2002 delivered the Australia Day address. In 2005 he was named Australian Humanist of the Year, and in 2007 honoured as Australian of the Year.
He spent a year teaching at Harvard, and is a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and the National Geographic Society's representative in Australasia. He serves on the board of WWF International (London and Gland) and on the sustainability advisory councils of Siemens (Munich) and Tata Power (Mumbai).
In 2007 he co-founded and was appointed Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a coalition of community, business, and political leaders who came together to confront climate change.
Tim Flannery is currently Professor of Science at Maquarie University, Sydney.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 1, 2023
Tim Flannery writes a compelling introduction to this collection of many tales of the exploration of Australia. In it he praises the massive contribution the Aboriginal guides and trackers made to keeping the Europeans alive - the Europeans who took the glory of being named discoverers and those first to complete various routes and circuits. Of course there was little achieved that the Aborigines had not already done.
They were not all willing guides, and not all of them helped. There were some men murdered by their assistant's, and some were abandoned to their fate. Some were unhelpful in all aspects of travel, unwilling to engage with other tribes, unwilling to carry another persons equipment, and unwilling to contribute to hunting. But in the main part though, these guides were the reason the Europeans stayed alive - they would select the route, find water and food, negotiate with other tribes and provide warnings of conditions and other dangers.
As to the stories of the explorers, there are just over sixty stories from Willem Jansz in 1606 to WJ Peasley in 1977. For each there is an introduction (by Flannery) to set the scene a small key map showing the approximate location, then an excerpt. The excerpts range from a page in length to 10 or 15 pages, and are taken from the explorers writing - books, diaries or letters.
Like many books of this ilk, the excerpts whet the appetite and don't always satisfy. Some are slightly dull, but most have something to offer. Many are familiar to those with any pervious reading of exploration in Australia, and equally as many are obscure.
There were ups and downs, at 385 pages it is a bit of a slog, but pretty easy to dip in and out of. I have read some of the source material, some of the books, and some books about the explorers, but was interested enough in more of these stories to want to read more.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
They were not all willing guides, and not all of them helped. There were some men murdered by their assistant's, and some were abandoned to their fate. Some were unhelpful in all aspects of travel, unwilling to engage with other tribes, unwilling to carry another persons equipment, and unwilling to contribute to hunting. But in the main part though, these guides were the reason the Europeans stayed alive - they would select the route, find water and food, negotiate with other tribes and provide warnings of conditions and other dangers.
As to the stories of the explorers, there are just over sixty stories from Willem Jansz in 1606 to WJ Peasley in 1977. For each there is an introduction (by Flannery) to set the scene a small key map showing the approximate location, then an excerpt. The excerpts range from a page in length to 10 or 15 pages, and are taken from the explorers writing - books, diaries or letters.
Like many books of this ilk, the excerpts whet the appetite and don't always satisfy. Some are slightly dull, but most have something to offer. Many are familiar to those with any pervious reading of exploration in Australia, and equally as many are obscure.
There were ups and downs, at 385 pages it is a bit of a slog, but pretty easy to dip in and out of. I have read some of the source material, some of the books, and some books about the explorers, but was interested enough in more of these stories to want to read more.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
August 8, 2020
A collection of Golden Age short sci-fi stories.
These were all decent but not stellar, relying heavily on a clever type of ending in which someone doesn't do something, in order to accomplish their goals. I don't want to spoil any endings, but when your only logical action will clearly result in dooming yourself to a miserable life, then maybe not taking any action (or taken a forbidden action) is your best bet.
If you're on a Golden Age kick, go for it.
These were all decent but not stellar, relying heavily on a clever type of ending in which someone doesn't do something, in order to accomplish their goals. I don't want to spoil any endings, but when your only logical action will clearly result in dooming yourself to a miserable life, then maybe not taking any action (or taken a forbidden action) is your best bet.
If you're on a Golden Age kick, go for it.
April 8, 2016
Hard to rate this book as a work of the author because of course Tim Flannery only compiled a raft of extracts from the diaries of various early explores.
While the individual extracts are interesting enough in their own right, when compiled, a sameness comes over them as to render continued reading more of a chore than an enjoyment.
Not my favourite i'm afraid.
While the individual extracts are interesting enough in their own right, when compiled, a sameness comes over them as to render continued reading more of a chore than an enjoyment.
Not my favourite i'm afraid.
November 26, 2011
review of
C. M. Kornbluth's The Explorers
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - November 26, 2011
I started reading Kornbluth by accident. I'd read some collaborations by G. C. Edmondson & C. M. Kotlan that I'd liked & some work by Edmondson alone that I'd liked less so I decided to look for work by Kotlan alone to see if I'd like that. I was in a bkstore & cdn't remember Kotlan's name so I got bks by Kornbluth instead. Similar names. & what a find Kornbluth seems to be turning out to be!
I'm reading the bks by him that I initially got in chronological order. That meant starting w/ The Explorers - 1st published in 1954. This collection of short stories includes his 1st published one, "The Rocket of 1955", presented in Escape magazine in 1939. Kornbluth was 15 or 16 when he wrote it. The 1st story in The Explorers is about a Puerto Rican immigrant working as a dishwasher who's discovered to be a physics genius & subsequently exploited by the U.S. military.
Thru this story Kornbluth immediately struck me as someone w/ a subversive bent who's far from naive about the actions & motives of governments. What particularly interests me is that this wd've been published during the McCarthy Red Scare. It wd appear that SF writers were under McCarthy's radar since McCarthy went after more high-profile people like Hollywood folks who were making big bucks. There's an advantage, sometimes, to barely scraping by financially.
Kornbluth, alas, only made it to age 34 when he died of a heart attack, so I consider the world to be fortunate that he wrote as much as he did starting as early as he did. I'll be reading everything by him that I can get my hands on.
C. M. Kornbluth's The Explorers
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - November 26, 2011
I started reading Kornbluth by accident. I'd read some collaborations by G. C. Edmondson & C. M. Kotlan that I'd liked & some work by Edmondson alone that I'd liked less so I decided to look for work by Kotlan alone to see if I'd like that. I was in a bkstore & cdn't remember Kotlan's name so I got bks by Kornbluth instead. Similar names. & what a find Kornbluth seems to be turning out to be!
I'm reading the bks by him that I initially got in chronological order. That meant starting w/ The Explorers - 1st published in 1954. This collection of short stories includes his 1st published one, "The Rocket of 1955", presented in Escape magazine in 1939. Kornbluth was 15 or 16 when he wrote it. The 1st story in The Explorers is about a Puerto Rican immigrant working as a dishwasher who's discovered to be a physics genius & subsequently exploited by the U.S. military.
Thru this story Kornbluth immediately struck me as someone w/ a subversive bent who's far from naive about the actions & motives of governments. What particularly interests me is that this wd've been published during the McCarthy Red Scare. It wd appear that SF writers were under McCarthy's radar since McCarthy went after more high-profile people like Hollywood folks who were making big bucks. There's an advantage, sometimes, to barely scraping by financially.
Kornbluth, alas, only made it to age 34 when he died of a heart attack, so I consider the world to be fortunate that he wrote as much as he did starting as early as he did. I'll be reading everything by him that I can get my hands on.
February 19, 2010
This is a collection of fascinating accounts written by early European explorers, beginning with the Dutch in 1604 and going through to 1977. It details their early encounters with the Aborigines, when the English gave them presents of tomahawks and handkerchiefs and the Aborigines willingly became their guides and helped them find water on their explorations inland.
There are chilling stories of men becoming weakened in the desert (and sometimes dying) while searching for days on end to find water. Above all, it shows the courage of the early explorers when boldly going into the unknown. It also shows a much darker side of our history, when the relations between the Europeans and Aborigines broke down and they became enemies.
This was a very thought-provoking book, and enabled me to better understand Australia's history and the events that brought us to where we are today. Humorous in some parts, scary in others, it overall left me with a sense of admiration and respect for both the original and new inhabitants of this country.
There are chilling stories of men becoming weakened in the desert (and sometimes dying) while searching for days on end to find water. Above all, it shows the courage of the early explorers when boldly going into the unknown. It also shows a much darker side of our history, when the relations between the Europeans and Aborigines broke down and they became enemies.
This was a very thought-provoking book, and enabled me to better understand Australia's history and the events that brought us to where we are today. Humorous in some parts, scary in others, it overall left me with a sense of admiration and respect for both the original and new inhabitants of this country.
August 27, 2009
I was pleasantly surprised. The book cover implied some gung-ho rocketship stuff, but the stories here were more varied, more interested in the characters, and had a classic feel without seeming dated.
I would love to read more about the world/universe described in "That Share of Glory", about a quasi-pacifistic order of monks who primarily get what they want through trickery and knowledge of the cultures they encounter on behalf of their mercantile clients.
I would love to read more about the world/universe described in "That Share of Glory", about a quasi-pacifistic order of monks who primarily get what they want through trickery and knowledge of the cultures they encounter on behalf of their mercantile clients.
November 12, 2025
A fascinating glimpse into the diverse views, perceptions and experiences of the varied individuals who ventured beyond the colonised frontier.
The descriptions of ‘interactions’ with indigenous communities, savage strategies of manipulation and observations via a western lens, bear witness to the unraveling and destruction of ancient cultures who shaped and tended this continent.
The descriptions of ‘interactions’ with indigenous communities, savage strategies of manipulation and observations via a western lens, bear witness to the unraveling and destruction of ancient cultures who shaped and tended this continent.
October 1, 2024
Great idea for a book.
Fascinating reading.
There were good guys with noble intentions
There were bad guys with horrid intentions
Ultimately and largely though, the early explorers rarely took the investment in time to understand what they were “exploring’
It’s important that this is exposed
😎📚✅🥲
Fascinating reading.
There were good guys with noble intentions
There were bad guys with horrid intentions
Ultimately and largely though, the early explorers rarely took the investment in time to understand what they were “exploring’
It’s important that this is exposed
😎📚✅🥲
September 28, 2018
I only had one problem with this collection of Australian exploration fragments...each snippet of diary or memoir left me wanting more.
This is a well-chosen collection of accounts from diverse viewpoints. I especially liked the rare Aboriginal account, seeing how different in tone they were from the typical European story-telling template.
I always knew the Australian outback was an unforgiving environment, but these accounts brought this home in a more personal way. Likewise, I knew that Aborigines had been treated badly, but was viscerally shocked at one of the few accounts from a woman and her casual description of the abduction of an Aboriginal woman - presumably for a servant. You can't just steal people!
The final account was well chosen - the end of an era for several reasons. The book has left me with much to think on and much to explore.
This is a well-chosen collection of accounts from diverse viewpoints. I especially liked the rare Aboriginal account, seeing how different in tone they were from the typical European story-telling template.
I always knew the Australian outback was an unforgiving environment, but these accounts brought this home in a more personal way. Likewise, I knew that Aborigines had been treated badly, but was viscerally shocked at one of the few accounts from a woman and her casual description of the abduction of an Aboriginal woman - presumably for a servant. You can't just steal people!
The final account was well chosen - the end of an era for several reasons. The book has left me with much to think on and much to explore.
May 27, 2014
Nine stories from the author. I rated each separately (out of 5) and came up with an avg of 3.11. Mainly because of two 1-star stinkers. However, there is so much that would be missed out on if a reader only went by numerical averages. This collection displays an intelligent, learned author. The stories are unpredictable, fun, and ironic. Many examine morality - the author has a critical (but not miserable) eye upon society. My favorite: "That Share of Glory," though "The Altar of Midnight" is a powerful story, too. Perfect for: vintage sci-fi readers and for anyone who wants smart reading without typical sci-fi tropes.
January 6, 2014
Tim Flannery is an excellent writer, but this book is simply a collection of passages (with his editorial comments) from ships' logs and personal journals. Many of these tell of encounters - some good, many hostile - between the aborigines and the European explorers. My criticism is that Flannery has tried to do too much, using brief excerpts that tell woefully incomplete stories. It would have been more effective to choose a few early explorers and tell a more thorough story, and thus give the reader a real taste of early Australian exploration.
September 17, 2018
Great survey of accounts from early Australian explorers. From the exhilaration of first encounters with the unknown, glimpses of shared humanity between Europeans and Indigenous people, but also the great cruelty of the colonialist project. Each account contextualised and sensitively introduced by T Flannery.
May 15, 2019
This is a very special book - giving voice to explorers. Most were quite respectful of aboriginal people who they met - some were not.
So glad to have read this book as preparation for outback travel in a couple of months time.
This is an amazing but harsh land and the explores were so tough. Most had strong will for survival and such a notable work ethic.
So glad to have read this book as preparation for outback travel in a couple of months time.
This is an amazing but harsh land and the explores were so tough. Most had strong will for survival and such a notable work ethic.
November 25, 2019
A rather curious book. Really a conglomeration of extracts from explorer's (of Australia) journals. I guess one of the things that fascinated me was that parts of Australia were still being "explored" up until 1977. And really significant explorations were still being made up until around 1900. Many of the significant explorations were being made at the time (or after) my own ancestors arrived in Australia in 1839.
Tim Flannery has either selected extracts where there are conflicts/interactions with the local blacks or this was an inevitable and frequent art of exploration. One thing that comes through the various narratives is that conflict with local aboriginals was not inevitable and in many cases the interactions were civil and even friendly. But there were also some very violent interactions where aboriginals were up agains firearms (And men on horseback) with their own wooden spears.
The other constant refrain is the shortage of water and the disastrous consequences of not having access to water. Today, this hardly comes as a surprise but I wonder about the character or foolhardiness of those explorers who set out into an unknown wilderness or desert with the conviction that they would be able to live off the land and find water on the way. As the explorations pushed further inland and into the dry desert areas the importance of aboriginal knowledge about water sources became more obvious and the examples of kidnapping and forcing aboriginals to divulge their water sources seemed to become more frequent.
Flannery makes the wry comment that one of the explorers found one of these water sources (that aboriginals had been caring for for 50,000 years) and proudly named it after himself and was astonished when the aboriginals took umbrage to this interloper who was claiming their water.
Flannery has put together a good selection of writings; I like his short pity introductions and I especially like the thumbnail maps which indicate where the action was taking place.
I give it threee stars.
Tim Flannery has either selected extracts where there are conflicts/interactions with the local blacks or this was an inevitable and frequent art of exploration. One thing that comes through the various narratives is that conflict with local aboriginals was not inevitable and in many cases the interactions were civil and even friendly. But there were also some very violent interactions where aboriginals were up agains firearms (And men on horseback) with their own wooden spears.
The other constant refrain is the shortage of water and the disastrous consequences of not having access to water. Today, this hardly comes as a surprise but I wonder about the character or foolhardiness of those explorers who set out into an unknown wilderness or desert with the conviction that they would be able to live off the land and find water on the way. As the explorations pushed further inland and into the dry desert areas the importance of aboriginal knowledge about water sources became more obvious and the examples of kidnapping and forcing aboriginals to divulge their water sources seemed to become more frequent.
Flannery makes the wry comment that one of the explorers found one of these water sources (that aboriginals had been caring for for 50,000 years) and proudly named it after himself and was astonished when the aboriginals took umbrage to this interloper who was claiming their water.
Flannery has put together a good selection of writings; I like his short pity introductions and I especially like the thumbnail maps which indicate where the action was taking place.
I give it threee stars.
December 11, 2022
Fascinating collection of primary sources on the exploration of Australia, from the early 17th century to the 1970s. While it includes the usual suspects (Tasman, Cook, Flinders, and Hume & Hovell for starters), it also includes far more people whose names are hardly familiar, including a few indigenous individuals and women. Tim Flannery's introduction to the book and to each selection provides wonderful context and sometimes humor. The wretched conditions of many an expedition are graphically depicted in the words of the people who lived through them, as well as the thrill many of the explorers found in documenting flora and fauna unknown to Europeans, or locating lands worth appropriating from indigenous peoples for settlement. There are stories of both conflict and cooperation between whites and indigenous peoples, and of both brutality and kindness. Most entries are field notes or diaries written at the time of the expeditions, but some were written later for publication. Well worth reading for anyone interested in the European conquest of Australia.
December 22, 2017
Unfortunately lost my copy of the book. Am listing it as read, unlikely to recover it! Was going good up until that moment though, was enjoying the excerpts.
February 5, 2013
The Mindworm”
Psychic vampire devises cruel methods to push victims into states of emotional crisis. Eventually he retreats to the country, where the “simple” rural folks recognize him for what he is and drive a stake through his heart. Noteworthy for the viciousness of the mindworm and the darkness of the tale.
7 “The Altar at Midnight”
Two men meet in a bar. One is a space worker who has been scarred, physically and emotionally, by space travel.
6 “Gomez”
Mathematic savant gets recruited by the government to work on scientific projects. He closes in on unified field theory, but when he realizes that his discoveries will be used to make weapons, he develops a convenient case of amnesia.
8 “The Rocket of 1955”
Bitterly cynical vignette resembles a sci-fi recasting of Mel Brooks’ The Producers. The narrator recounts, in the form of a police confession, a conspiracy to bilk investors buying into a rocket ship that has no chance of working.
Psychic vampire devises cruel methods to push victims into states of emotional crisis. Eventually he retreats to the country, where the “simple” rural folks recognize him for what he is and drive a stake through his heart. Noteworthy for the viciousness of the mindworm and the darkness of the tale.
7 “The Altar at Midnight”
Two men meet in a bar. One is a space worker who has been scarred, physically and emotionally, by space travel.
6 “Gomez”
Mathematic savant gets recruited by the government to work on scientific projects. He closes in on unified field theory, but when he realizes that his discoveries will be used to make weapons, he develops a convenient case of amnesia.
8 “The Rocket of 1955”
Bitterly cynical vignette resembles a sci-fi recasting of Mel Brooks’ The Producers. The narrator recounts, in the form of a police confession, a conspiracy to bilk investors buying into a rocket ship that has no chance of working.
March 22, 2020
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"I’ve stayed away from C. M. Kornbluth for far too long. I read Kornbluth and Pohl’s The Space Merchants (1953) when I was quite young and was put off for some unexplainable reason. What a shame! This collection of short stories and novelettes contains some of the best short works I’ve[...]"
"I’ve stayed away from C. M. Kornbluth for far too long. I read Kornbluth and Pohl’s The Space Merchants (1953) when I was quite young and was put off for some unexplainable reason. What a shame! This collection of short stories and novelettes contains some of the best short works I’ve[...]"
June 12, 2014
An interesting collection of excerpts from European explorer of Australia. It is a great introduction to some important players in the history of Australia. Now that libraries and museums around the world are scanning source documents, this is a useful list of references for anyone wanting to learn more about history to start their exploration.
May 31, 2016
The white explorers who tried to conquer inland Australia were mostly awful and died a lot, the end. The stories are infuriatingly repetitive and are often pretty grim, although you have to (albeit rather dubiously) admire the relentless stupidity of those involved. I guess.
December 31, 2015
Most of the stories in this collection also appear in "The Best Of C.M. Kornbluth," which in itself is a good indicator of just how strong this book is. Kornbluth's favorite subjects -- the future of advertising & trade -- are explored in stories that range from pedestrian to downright clever.
Read
January 20, 2016This was an excellent book to read to get a view of what the early explorers encountered as they set out to explore Australia. It was a bit labourious at times, as many of them had similar experiences, nevertheless, it was worth the read.
July 17, 2012
Very informative, if dry at times. Book is compiled of actual accounts of exploration spanning over three centuries. All accounts told from the perspectives of explorers.
Want to read
January 23, 2014This has been on my radar
July 16, 2016
Very nice book about the most important explorers of Australia. Chronological order of exploration. Great intoduction to Aborigens and history of Australia.
January 7, 2017
I liked Kornbluth when I was just discovering sci-fi. Now, it doesn't do anything for me.
January 13, 2025
Some absolute standout short stories here. Kornbluth is awesome.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews