This book was a thoroughly enjoyable read about an interesting part of Australia which is normally not treated as a single entity, the entire length of the New South Wales coast. I would think that the challenge in writing a book like this is how to link the whole length of the coast, while also limiting the narrative from other parts of the state. Then, how to write a history of that geographic area such that it is interesting to read. On all accounts the author succeeds.
His way of the dividing the book into chapters based around chronologically ordered themes was logical and let the story flow without being bound to hard historic periods. By way of example, the first chapter looked at the natural history of the coast, and how it was discovered and understood. This chapter jumped around historically but that worked because the author was using the natural world as the underpinning story while the naturalists and other characters were used to provide more detail to parts of narrative.
The next chapter then focused on the indigenous dwellers of the coast. A chronology that made sense because they were living there long before European settlement. it was the arrival of the Europeans that made up the next two chapters, with the first one focussed on discovery and the following one looking at settlement.
That was essentially how the book unfolded with chapters looking at the various themes, straddling time as required. Rather than being confusing I found that approach kept the narrative flowing because the author was not tied to following a straight line. Dates were not that important and the author, a professional historian, used dates as markers to help pinpoint an event but would move around geographically and by theme rather than as history unfolded. A completely chronologically ordered story that gave all the details would be a massive tome and would be hard to make readable. I found the author’s approach light enough to keep the story going, but he would still provide enough detail to explain a subject. The book was well referenced but there was also enough detail in the chapters to allow for a quick Google search when I found myself wanting more information. And I see that as strength of the book, Different readers will have different motivations for reading this book so I found that I had enough information on a wide variety of subjects to inform me broadly but also enough detail when I wanted to dig deeper through the Internet about an aspect that caught my attention.
The book also had captivating graphics. There were historic black and white photos as well as colour reproductions of paintings and old book prints. The graphics were throughout the book, aiding the story the author was conveying. The paintings and pictures were well chosen and sometimes sent me off to find out more information about them as well. Again, to me, that was a strength of the book, it was almost interactive because it whetted my appetite for more while not overwhelming me with vast details about every aspect of the story.
And the story was a rich one. I love the coast and so every time that I read a bit about some town or bay that I had visited I was taken back to that spot by the author. It has made our trips to the coast even richer because I understand more about specific places but also how those locations link into the much wider story of the entire coast.
I thoroughly recommend this book, especially if you have a soft spot for the part of the world covered in the book. It will help you appreciate it so much more. I see this book staying on my shelf and being pulled down every now and then to be consulted for context about places that we are about to visit. Truly a joy to read.