Australia’s Best Unknown Stories (Jim Haynes, read by Jim Haynes, Bolinda)

Jim Haynes sorts the facts from the furphies in the audiobook Australia’s Best Unknown Stories, which combines snippets of Australian colonial history, short stories and poetry. With the voice of a seasoned storyteller, he explains that the golden wattle was not actually chosen as the national emblem because of its gold colour, and that the chant ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi,’ found its way into the Australian vernacular from its Welsh-mining origins. He also reflects on forgotten characters from Australia’s past who made a contribution to the country, and recounts unlikely fictional tales that originated in small rural towns. As a researcher who enjoys resurrecting long-forgotten poetry, Haynes explains that two poems by C J Dennis and Banjo Patterson were actually parodies of the lesser known poem ‘How We Beat the Favourite’ by Adam Lindsay Gordon. Haynes’ passion for bush poetry is also reflected in his flawless recitations of nostalgic poems such as ‘Buckalong’ by Charles Souter. This is a great audiobook for lovers of Australian history and bush poetry, and is perfect for long country drives. Haynes’ narration could only be improved by actually sitting around a campfire with a hot billy tea and a bite  of damper.

Andrew Wrathall is publishing and digital media coordinator at Books+Publishing

Category: Reviews