Western Australia

Man Tracks – With the Mounted Police in the Australian Wilds – Ion Idriess – 1935

Published by Angus & Robertson 1935, a fifth edition same year as the first.

Octavo, 330 pages, illustrations from authors and contemporary photographs. Without dust jacket – red cloth covered boards clean – a better than good overall copy. End paper maps.

An impressive Idriess book about the Australian mounted Police up through the Red Centre, the North and North West. Many lively accounts recounted in the normal Idriess way. The photography in this book is special with a number of unique aboriginal images.

Real Crime solved by Police on Horseback

$35.00

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Sent Forth a Dove [Discovery of the Duyfken] – James Henderson

In 1606 the Dutch India Company ship the Duyfken came upon the Cape York Peninsula. The author reconstructs the fascinating adventure of this little ship and tells of the building of the replica.

The Duyfken appeared at the Hobart Wooden Boat Festival in 2023.We hope it returns in 2025. Voyager photograph of the vessel in the River Derwent shown here.

A softcover, large octavo, 218 pages, heavily and nicely illustrated. Published by the University of Western Australia in 1999. A super copy.

The Duyfken started it all as a Dove would

$30.00

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Black Swan – George Shaw – 1808

An original copper engraving of the Australian Black Swan.

Engraved in copper by Eastgate and published by G Kearlsey of Fleet street, London on October 1st 1808 – dated in the plate. It was published as part of the great George Shaw’s Zoological Lectures which were performed at the Royal Institution the following year.

A good strong engraving, 210mm by 125 mm. paper showing a little age but really a very good example of this very early Black Swan image.

Proud Black Swan done well.

$120.00

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The Voyage of HMS Galatea – Visit to Australia – Prince Alfred – 1867

Medal commemorating the Australian visit of the then Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Alfred, to Australia.

Created and cast by Thomas Stokes of Melbourne. There are two slightly different forms, with differing decorative borders.

On the obverse the Duke’s bust in naval dress uniform with Ribbon and Star of the Garter. Legend HRH Duke of Edinburgh. Surrounded by an ornamental border. Reverse with a starboard broadside view of the “Galatea” under steam and sail, the top gallant sails in the act of being taken in. Legend … to Commemorate the Visit of HRH Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh KG to Australia – HMS Galatea 1867.

See the Greenwich National Maritime museum for an example – reference MEC1362.

47mm in diameter, 40 gm white metal. Holed for a loop as usual, a couple of scratches, negligible edge bumps, a pretty good example.

HMS Galatea circumnavigated the World and spent six months in Australia. During his stay the Prince was subject to an assassination attempt by an Irishman – he was shot but the bullet actually glanced off his ribs and he survived.

Historical Maritime Medal – HMS Galatea in Australia 1867.

$125.00

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A Convict Story – The Lost Lives of Lyra and William Sykes – “These few lines” – Graham Seal

Published by ABC Books, Sydney in 2006. This book took twenty year of research in England and Australia a narrative based around fragments of the separated lives of Lyra and William Sykes.

Living in northern England, William Sykes was a poacher and during such an escapade he got into an altercation and killed the gamekeeper. His penalty was transportation to the Swan River in Western Australia.

Octavo, 234 pages, nicely illustrated with images of letters exchanges, journals and places relevant to both Myra and William. Fine condition.

Interesting convict story well researched, written and presented.

$20.00

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Shipwreck Archaeology in Australia – Michael Nash

A fine copy of Michael Nash’s all embracing Australian shipwreck book.

Published by the University of Western Australia Press in 2007. Squarish large octavo, 244 pages, very nicely illustrated throughout, end paper illustration of the dreadful goings on at the Batavia camp.

Pulled together by Nash with contributions from a number of other experts in the field, or the water really.

The fifteen wrecks dealt with in detail are presented chronologically starting with the Batavia (1629) .. then a leap to Hunter’s Sirius (1790) .. the Pandora (1791) all the way to the Tasman (1883). We say fifteen but the last is a place for wrecks Garden Island (1906-1945). Notes, glossary etc finish what is a really good reference or stand alone work.

The other dimension with this book is the back history of many of wrecks – First Fleet; Bounty Related; Slavers; Walers etc and for some another aspect such as Experimental Reconstruction (Zanoni 1867); Timber Shipbuilding techniques (Water Witch 1842).

Australian Wrecks – the way in to the subject – no better presentation.

$50.00

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Man Tracks – With the Mounted Police in the Australian Wilds – Ion Idriess – 1935

Sent Forth a Dove [Discovery of the Duyfken] – James Henderson

Black Swan – George Shaw – 1808

The Voyage of HMS Galatea – Visit to Australia – Prince Alfred – 1867

A Convict Story – The Lost Lives of Lyra and William Sykes – “These few lines” – Graham Seal

Shipwreck Archaeology in Australia – Michael Nash

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