Reading the Country

In 1983 the three authors of this book undertook a journey into Roebuck Plains, an area in the north of Western Australia. In this book they explore the meaning of place, and try to chart the relationships between people and those specific places in which they must find a place to live.

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In 1983 the three authors of this book undertook a journey into Roebuck Plains, an area in the north of Western Australia which takes its name from a ship which was sailed into the region in 1699 by the European explorer, William Dampier. It was then, and until less than a century ago, inhabited by Aboriginal people. Today the plains form part of a pastoral lease, and no Aboriginals live there. The book provides an account of the authors' exploration of the meaning of place, and their attempt to chart the relationships between people and those specific places in which they must find a place to live. Readings include traditional and contemporary Aboriginal narratives and songs, European history of "discovery" and "settlement" and geological and geographic knowledge, paintings and photographs, and a series of exploratory, linking essays.