Penguin Books Australia

'From the helicopter I could see the property's waterholes surrounded by paperbark trees, its red-stone cliffs lit by the rising sun. And grass, endless seas of grass. Here was the vision splendid: Nat Buchanan's grass castle. Gurindji country. And my country, Australia.'

For a town with seventy residents (on a good day), Birdsville is remarkably well known – the Birdsville Track, the rodeo, the pub, the infamous races.  With its ruggedness, inaccessibility and larrikin charm, this small town on the edge of the Simpson Desert has become a symbol of the great Australian outback.

What is it about Birdsville that has made it stand so large in our legends? ...

For a town with seventy residents (on a good day), Birdsville is remarkably well known – the Birdsville Track, the rodeo, the pub, the infamous races.   With its ruggedness, inaccessibility and larrikin charm, this small town on the edge of the Simpson Desert has become a symbol of the great Australian outback.

What is it about Birdsville that has made it stand so large in our legends?...

In producing this remarkable book, McHugh has made extensive...

Journey into Australia's heart of darkness...

. . . where life is lived by a different set of rules and it is easy for criminals to disappear into the vast landscape - and yet it can be difficult to remain anonymous. The worst aspects of human nature reveal themselves in the red centre.