Hard Country, Hard Men : In the Footsteps of Gregory

Rating:
Summary: Great Achievements
Review: In writing "Hard Country, Hard Men", Kieran Kelly shines a spotlight on the glaring absence of recognition and praise for Augustus Gregory's achievements in the annals of Australian history. It is a dreadful shame that the vast majority of Australians are unaware of the accomplishments of this extraordinary man, whose contribution to early Australian exploration was so great.

Kelly dedicated ten years to the preparation for his journey following in the footsteps of Gregory's 1855-56 expedition in Northern Australia. He was able to prove to himself and to others the astonishing accuracy of Gregory's maps and manuscripts. Not much has changed along this route in the last 144 years - fires come through from time to time changing the softer features, waterholes dry and are replenished but mountains, valleys, plains and gorges remain the same. Kelly plotted his course according to Gregory's co-ordinates with confidence and without major mishap. So thoroughly had he read the explorer's meticulous records, he was able to anticipate the vista over every rise. However, nothing could have prepared him for the hardships an expedition such as this throws up and his esteem of Gregory grew daily as the enormity of his task unfolded. The excitement of any expedition into the wilderness lies in the unpredictability of the forces of nature and the unpredicatability of the nature of men when battling these forces.

These are parallel journeys into the heart of the Australian outback and into the hearts of brave, hard men. But this is not just a book about the Australian outback or about Augustus Gregory: it is a story of adventure and the dichotomous relationship man has with his environment - those who are victorious are both at one with nature and yet able to pit themselves against it with resolve and fortitude in times of crises. Both Gregory and Kelly survived to tell a great story - fortunately we have both in "Hard Country, Hard Men".

Rating:
Summary: Great Achievements
Review: In writing "Hard Country, Hard Men", Kieran Kelly shines a spotlight on the glaring absence of recognition and praise for Augustus Gregory's achievements in the annals of Australian history. It is a dreadful shame that the vast majority of Australians are unaware of the accomplishments of this extraordinary man, whose contribution to early Australian exploration was so great.

Kelly dedicated ten years to the preparation for his journey following in the footsteps of Gregory's 1855-56 expedition in Northern Australia. He was able to prove to himself and to others the astonishing accuracy of Gregory's maps and manuscripts. Not much has changed along this route in the last 144 years - fires come through from time to time changing the softer features, waterholes dry and are replenished but mountains, valleys, plains and gorges remain the same. Kelly plotted his course according to Gregory's co-ordinates with confidence and without major mishap. So thoroughly had he read the explorer's meticulous records, he was able to anticipate the vista over every rise. However, nothing could have prepared him for the hardships an expedition such as this throws up and his esteem of Gregory grew daily as the enormity of his task unfolded. The excitement of any expedition into the wilderness lies in the unpredictability of the forces of nature and the unpredicatability of the nature of men when battling these forces.

These are parallel journeys into the heart of the Australian outback and into the hearts of brave, hard men. But this is not just a book about the Australian outback or about Augustus Gregory: it is a story of adventure and the dichotomous relationship man has with his environment - those who are victorious are both at one with nature and yet able to pit themselves against it with resolve and fortitude in times of crises. Both Gregory and Kelly survived to tell a great story - fortunately we have both in "Hard Country, Hard Men".

Rating:
Summary: Hard to put down: Kieran Kelly's "Hard Men, Hard Country"
Review: Kieran Kelly thinks Augustus Gregory was Australia's greatest explorer - and that's precisely why most of the books get written about Burke & Wills. Unlike those two show-pony desperadoes, Gregory meticulously planned his expeditions, allowing him to keep the suffering of his team to a minimum, and ensuring he never killed a native Australian. What's more, Gregory was actually successful - crossing Northern Australia in the 1850s to prove the continent had no inland sea. Kelly's respect for Gregory's unsung humanity, bravery and skill shines through in his re-enactment - his narration is much more than a soft-drink commercial Action Man blow-by-blow. (This is a guy who taught himself the obsolete skill of celestial astronomy, so every subtle detail of the original expedition would be re-lived.) Kelly's not satisfied with Gregory's succint diary entries, frequently trying to get at what his hero would REALLY have been thinking as he topped a certain ridge or got to where water was scarily hard to find (as Kelly's crew did, grippingly, on occasion). In a contemporary context, Kelly's expidition is also fascinating for the obvious tension existing between this 'city slicker' Sydney stockbroker and the hard men from the Top End recruited to help him. It's an intriguing, unresolved sub-text to a unique, truly 'living' piece of Australian history.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to put down: Kieran Kelly's "Hard Men, Hard Country"
Review: Kieran Kelly thinks Augustus Gregory was Australia's greatest explorer - and that's precisely why most of the books get written about Burke & Wills. Unlike those two show-pony desperadoes, Gregory meticulously planned his expeditions, allowing him to keep the suffering of his team to a minimum, and ensuring he never killed a native Australian. What's more, Gregory was actually successful - crossing Northern Australia in the 1850s to prove the continent had no inland sea. Kelly's respect for Gregory's unsung humanity, bravery and skill shines through in his re-enactment - his narration is much more than a soft-drink commercial Action Man blow-by-blow. (This is a guy who taught himself the obsolete skill of celestial astronomy, so every subtle detail of the original expedition would be re-lived.) Kelly's not satisfied with Gregory's succint diary entries, frequently trying to get at what his hero would REALLY have been thinking as he topped a certain ridge or got to where water was scarily hard to find (as Kelly's crew did, grippingly, on occasion). In a contemporary context, Kelly's expidition is also fascinating for the obvious tension existing between this 'city slicker' Sydney stockbroker and the hard men from the Top End recruited to help him. It's an intriguing, unresolved sub-text to a unique, truly 'living' piece of Australian history.