The Saltwater People: An Epic of Ancient Australia's Hidden North.
Before European settlement, before the name 'Australia' was even spoken, a mighty civilization ruled the tropical waters of the far north. The Yolŋu—saltwater people of extraordinary courage and ancient wisdom—built a culture that would endure for thousands of years.
MAKARRATA plunges readers into this hidden world of Arnhem Land, where warriors spear-hunt giant crocodiles in mangrove swamps, where sorcerers work their mysteries under Southern Cross skies, and where love stories unfold against the backdrop of Australia's most remote and dangerous frontier.
From the epic raft migrations of 3000 BC to the mysterious golden coins that hint at ancient African connections, this sweeping historical romance captures the drama of a people who survived cyclones, shipwrecks, and pirate raids while building one of the world's most sophisticated indigenous cultures.
When the modern world finally arrives—first through missionaries, then through the bombs of World War II—the Yolŋu face their ultimate test. Ancient meets modern in a cultural collision that sparks what may be Australia's most significant Christian revival.
This is the story of the land where Matthew Flinders first declared 'Australia,' where Prime Ministers still come to listen, and where the voices of Gurrumul and Yothu Yindi echo ancestral songs. MAKARRATA is an epic adventure through Australia's hidden history—a tale that will thrill, inspire, and forever change how you see this ancient continent.
*****
This is a rewarding book to read. I have taught all over Australia, but I began my career teaching in a remote outstation school in Arnhem Land, where I learned about their culture, language, and customs, so uniquely portrayed by Michael Chambers in this book.
These stories are immensely entertaining both for their scope and authenticity.
Michelle Cattell, Port Macquarie
370 pages. $51.20 on Amazon plus freight
Twenty thousand years. Two peoples. One ancient land.
In the vast, unforgiving beauty of the Australian Outback, Walking Among the Stars weaves together the epic stories of those who dared to call this harsh country home. From the Ngiyampaa people who first learned to find plenty where others saw only poverty, to the waves of settlers who followed—Europeans, Afghans, Chinese—all drawn to the dry country between the rivers.
At the heart of this sweeping saga is Tom Duncan, a young jackaroo from New Zealand who arrives in the arid Willandra and Mungo Lakes District seeking adventure and finds something far greater: the love of his life, and the hard-won wisdom that will define his future.
But Tom's story is only the latest chapter in an ancient epic. Meet Barak, the one-legged warrior who challenged Thylacoleo, the feared Marsupial Lion. Follow Mundawal, torn from his island home and the woman he loves. Walk with Beaufort Harris, who survived the battlefields of Crimea only to face the waterless Outback. Stand beside Kathleen O'Hara as she travels the world to marry and founds a global dynasty. Search with Billy Christmas, a blackfella seeking his culture and heritage in a changing world.
Drawing from his own experiences as a jackaroo and 150 years of his wife's family history as graziers, Michael Chambers has crafted an unforgettable tale of survival, love, and redemption. With stories shared by Ngiyampaa Elder Roy Kennedy, this is more than historical fiction—it's the living memory of a land that has witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, the meeting of cultures, and the enduring power of the human spirit.
In a country where towns can rise phoenix-like from dusty plains only to fade away, where ancient wisdom meets modern ambition, can there be harmony between two peoples? Walking Among the Stars is the story of that eternal struggle—and the hope for redemption that lies buried in the red earth of the Outback.
I am very impressed with this book. It takes me back to when I was a young man. Many of the stories told here are either mine or from my people. This book needs to be widely read, so that both young and old will realise what this country is all about. I believe it will explain a lot about what happened.
Roy Kennedy, Ngiyampaa Elder Ivanhoe NSW
420 pages. $41.55 on Amazon plus postage