Download or read book The Last Great Australian Adventurer written by Gordon Bass and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2017-07-31 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1948, Ben Carlin set out from New York City with an audacious, lunatic plan to circumnavigate the world in an army surplus amphibious jeep called Half-Safe. Fuelled by cigarettes and adrenaline, the Australian army major pushed his fragile, claustrophobic vehicle through fierce Atlantic hurricanes, across uncharted North African desert, into dense South-East Asian jungle and over the icy dark swells of the North Pacific. It was a 50,000-mile roll of the dice that by all rights should have killed him. When Ben finally pulled into Times Square a decade later, he found himself alone and forgotten, his legacy little more than a wake of women and empty whiskey bottles. And the worst was yet to come. Was it all a fool's errand? Or a pure manifestation of spirit? Where does a dream end and an obsession begin? What's an acceptable cost to pay, and to what lengths will a person go not to be left with the haunting question: what if? The Last Great Australian Adventurer is the compelling account of Ben Carlin's attempt to make an enduring mark on the world at the twilight of the Golden Age of Adventure.
Download or read book Last Great Australian Adventurer The written by Gordon Bass and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2017-07 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1948, Ben Carlin set out from New York City with an audacious, lunatic plan to circumnavigate the world in an army surplus amphibious jeep called Half-Safe. Fuelled by cigarettes and adrenaline, the Australian army major pushed his fragile, claustrophobic vehicle through fierce Atlantic hurricanes, across uncharted North African desert, into dense South-East Asian jungle and over the icy dark swells of the North Pacific. It was a 50,000-mile roll of the dice that by all rights should have killed him. When Ben finally pulled into Times Square a decade later, he found himself alone and forgotten, his legacy little more than a wake of women and empty whiskey bottles. And the worst was yet to come. Was it all a fool's errand? Or a pure manifestation of spirit? Where does a dream end and an obsession begin? What's an acceptable cost to pay, and to what lengths will a person go not to be left with the haunting question- what if? The Last Great Australian Adventurer is the compelling account of Ben Carlin's attempt to make an enduring mark on the world at the twilight of the Golden Age of Adventure.
Download or read book LAST GREAT AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURER written by GORDON. BASS and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Backyard Adventurer written by Beau Miles and published by Brio Books Pty Ltd. This book was released on 2021-05-05 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After years of adventuring around the globe – running, kayaking, hitchhiking, exploring – Beau Miles came back to his block in country Victoria. Staying put for the first time in years, Beau developed a new kind of lifestyle as the Backyard Adventurer. Whether it was walking 90km to work with no provisions, building a canoe paddle out of scavenged scrap or running a disused railway line through properties, blackberry thickets and past inquiring police officers, Beau has been finding ways to satisfy his adventurous spirit close to home. This book is about conscious experimentation with adventure, making meaning and inspiration out of tins of beans, bits of rubbish and elbow grease. Beau’s Backyard exploits are funny, authentic, insightful and being copied all over the world by everyday people. YouTuber, new dad, and self-described oddball who needs to shower more, Beau is what happens when you cross Bear Grylls with Bush Tucker Man. With a PhD in Outdoor Education, a string of successful short films under his belt and a boundless passion for discovery, Beau is the real deal.
Download or read book Last Explorer written by Simon Nasht and published by Skyhorse Publishing Inc.. This book was released on 2012-08 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the tradition of The Ice Master and Endurance, here is the incredible story of the first truly modern explorer, whose death-defying adventures and uncommon modesty make this book itself an extraordinary discovery. Hubert Wilkins was the most successful explorer in history--no one saw with his own eyes more undiscovered land and sea. Largely self-taught, Wilkins became a celebrated newsreel cameraman in the early 1900s, as well as a reporter, pilot, spy, war hero, scientist, and adventurer, capturing in his lens war and famine, cheating death repeatedly, meeting world leaders like Lenin and Stalin, and circling the globe on a zeppelin. Apprenticing with the greats of polar exploration, including Shackleton in the Antarctic, Wilkins recognized the importance of new technologies such as the airplane and submarine. He helped map the Canadian Arctic and plumbed the ocean depths from the icecap. A pioneer in the truest sense of the word, he became the first man to fly across the North Pole, which won him a knighthood; the first to fly to the Antarctic and discover land there by airpla≠ and the first to take a submarine under the Arctic ice. Grasping the link between the poles and changing global weather, Wilkins was a visionary in weather forecasting and the study of global warming. A true hero of the earth, he changed the way we look at our world.
Download or read book QF32 written by Richard de Crespigny and published by Macmillan Publishers Aus.. This book was released on 2012-08-01 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: QF32 is the award winning bestseller from Richard de Crespigny, author of the forthcoming Fly!: Life Lessons from the Cockpit of QF32 On 4 November 2010, a flight from Singapore to Sydney came within a knife edge of being one of the world's worst air disasters. Shortly after leaving Changi Airport, an explosion shattered Engine 2 of Qantas flight QF32 - an Airbus A380, the largest and most advanced passenger plane ever built. Hundreds of pieces of shrapnel ripped through the wing and fuselage, creating chaos as vital flight systems and back-ups were destroyed or degraded. In other hands, the plane might have been lost with all 469 people on board, but a supremely experienced flight crew, led by Captain Richard de Crespigny, managed to land the crippled aircraft and safely disembark the passengers after hours of nerve-racking effort. Tracing Richard's life and career up until that fateful flight, QF32 shows exactly what goes into the making of a top-level airline pilot, and the extraordinary skills and training needed to keep us safe in the air. Fascinating in its detail and vividly compelling in its narrative, QF32 is the riveting, blow-by-blow story of just what happens when things go badly wrong in the air, told by the captain himself. Winner of ABIA Awards for Best General Non-fiction Book of the Year 2013 and Indie Awards' Best Non-fiction 2012 Shortlisted ABIA Awards' Book of the Year 2013
Download or read book One Life One Chance written by Luke Richmond and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-02-19 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Born to nomadic parents and humble beginnings, Luke Richmond grew up running wild and free in the Australian outback. After finishing school, he joined the Australian Army and served his country overseas as a qualified infantry soldier – an experience that sparked in him an unrelenting desire for adventure. But when he leaves the army Luke finds himself broke and adrift in London, caught up in the soulless world of drug and alcohol addiction. When he wakes up in a police cell with no memory of how he got there, he knows he has hit rock bottom, and makes the snap decision to turn his life around. Within days he is in Thailand, training his mind and body at a Muay Thai boxing camp in the jungles of Phuket. In suffering Luke finds his salvation, and he decides to make the most out of life by seeking adventure in remote corners of the world. Since then Luke has climbed the highest mountains on six continents, set a new world record for ocean rowing across the Atlantic, battled -60 degree temperatures in the Antarctic, witnessed death at high altitude, was held captive in the humid jungles of West Papua and has thrown himself from cliffs in the adrenalin-fueled world of BASE jumping. More than an awe-inspiring story of endurance and adventure, One Life One Chance will ultimately remind you that we only have one shot, so don’t waste a second of it.
Download or read book Francis Birtles written by Warren Brown and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2012-10-09 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the colourful story of Francis Birtles, a fascinating individual who led a life of incredible adventure and exploration in Australia and throughout the world. A narrative account of the life and times of one of Australia's most extraordinary adventurers - a man who crossed Australia more than 70 times in the early part of the 20th century - by bicycle and car. In 1927 he acheived the greatest motoring feat of the times, driving a car from London to Melbourne. This story follows his exploits across scorching Arabic deserts, through steamy Indian jungles and mountain snowstorms. In between these journeys he made a collection of documentaries and films of his encounters with the outback. He documented his exploration of Australia in his book, Battlefronts of Outback. He eventually travelled to the Northern Territory in search of gold and retired a wealthy man.
Download or read book Once a Fool from Tokyo to Alaska by Amphibious Jeep written by Boye De Mente and published by Cultural-Insight Books. This book was released on 2005-06 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most remarkable adventures on record, ONCE A FOOL -- From Tokyo to Alaska by American journalist Boye Lafayette De Mente recounts his experiences aboard the the jeep Half-Safe, with Australian Ben Carlin--a voyage that took precisely four months and involved encounters with Russians, Japanese fishing nets, huge walruses, a tidal wave, a Yellow Monster, water colder than ice, and each other! One of the most publicized ocean-crossings in the 20th century, the story of the globe-circling amphibious jeep is in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Download or read book My Adventurous Life written by Dick Smith and published by Allen & Unwin. This book was released on 2021-11-02 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Entrepreneur, adventurer, philanthropist ... Australian icon Dick Smith shares his extraordinary life story for the first time. 'Part Bear Grylls, part Bill Gates, but 100% Aussie larrikin. Dick is a great innovator, philanthropist and adventurer, who in my eyes can do no wrong.' - Paul Hogan 'Businessman, adventurer, philanthropist . . . Dick Smith is a true Australian legend.' - Greg Mortimer OAM 'I have been charmed by good fortune to be born in Australia in the 1940s. I have lived through a time of great prosperity and every day I am reminded of my good luck.' Dick Smith is a remarkable and proud Australian. He has been part of our national consciousness for over fifty years as an innovative and astute businessman, a ground-breaking adventurer, a generous philanthropist and a provocateur for the causes he feels deeply about. Yet, despite his great successes and achievements, Dick has remained down to earth and close to his roots. So how did the young boy who was one of the most academically hopeless in class become the national living treasure he is today? And what was it within that kid with a speech impediment that allowed him to create three successful businesses, and take on some of the world's greatest and most dangerous aviation challenges? In My Adventurous Life, Dick shares his inspiring story and the lessons he's learned about staying true to yourself. He has welcomed the freedoms that wealth brings, but has found the simple life more fulfilling. His responsibility is to the world and the people we share it with.
Download or read book Desert Walker written by Denis Bartell and published by Publicious Pty Limited. This book was released on 2012 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his book DESERT WALKER, Denis Bartell, recipient of the Order of Australia and The Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year Gold Medallion 1994, relives many of his adventures into the outback of Australia. Tag along with him as he walks, boats, four- wheel drives and rides camels though some of the harshest terrain in the world. "The stuff legends are made of" Overlander Magazine December 1977 "Australia's most respected outback adventurer" Overlander Magazine May 1983 "Dick Smith landed his helicopter and climbed out to meet the adventurer he had been seeking." Australian Geographic June 1986 "A contemporary Australian explorer and one of the quintessential characters of Australia's inland." The Australian November 1994
Download or read book The Dog Who Took Me Up a Mountain written by Rick Crandall and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-10-08 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The uplifting story of two unlikely mountaineers: a man in late middle age and a fearless pint-sized pup who, together, scale Colorado's highest peaks. By the time life had finished hitting Rick Crandall from all sides, he was at the lowest point of his life, both personally and professionally. Depressed to find himself facing a mid-late-life age crisis and watching his finances crumble as the tech industry bubble burst, he hopes his future isn't headed downhill. It was at this critical juncture in their new marriage that his wife Pamela made an astute and life-changing suggestion: "Let's get a dog." So begins the story of Emme, a 200-pound Saint Bernard trapped in the body of 5-pound Australian terrier puppy. Soon, Emme and Rick hit the hiking trails around Aspen, Colorado. While she is groomed to be a show dog, it's soon obvious that her heart is in the hills and with Rick, who decides to add more challenging hikes to the mix. Before long, they are scaling Colorado's "fourteeners," peaks with altitudes of over 14,000 feet. On one magical day, Emme climbs to the top of four "fourteeners," a quarter of the sixteen such peaks she will complete during her life without once being carried on a trail or on the rocks on the way to a summit. In mountaineering Rick realizes he has found—in his late sixties—his life's new passion. This is where Emme has led him—out of the abyss and to the top of the mountain. She was never really walking behind: she was nudging him along until he found his stride. Even after Rick understood the glory of climbing, it was Emme still doing the leading, until Rick learned how to lead himself.
Download or read book Lasseter s Reef written by Bill Decarli and published by Boolarong Biographies. This book was released on 2021-09-02 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fact or myth? Harold Bell Lasseter and his claim of finding a vast gold-bearing reef in Central Australia has continually been surrounded in mystery. Yet his ill-fated death in the Australian outback, where the land is unforgiving to the careless and the foolhardy, is relatively undisputed. Despite Lasseter taking secrets to a lonely desert grave in 1931, the story of the elusive gold reef has become a holy grail for explorers from near and far. One such explorer is Vietnam veteran Bill Decarli, who has spent the best part of forty years unravelling one of Australia’s greatest mysteries. On his maiden voyage to the outback in 1991, instead of heading towards Western Australia like other diehard explorers, Bill reversed his map and headed east towards Queensland. It was there that he struck upon the infamous gold reef, one that Lasseter had never laid eyes on, yet some how had been made aware of its existence. Based on significant new insights, and with a further nine trips to the reef, the key to putting all the pieces together, for Bill, was a man who barely left any trace of his own existence — until now. A story of adventurous hearts, honesty and resolve, in this new twist, Bill unearths how Lasseter’s claim was another man’s story, the exact location of the reef and how the reef stands to have a bright future.
Download or read book Tim Tigon written by Tim Cope and published by Pan Australia. This book was released on 2019-09-10 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Adventurer Tim Cope had a childhood dream: to travel the 10,000 kilometres from Mongolia to Hungary on horseback - a journey undertaken centuries ago by the legendary leader of the Mongols, Genghis Khan. On this journey, Tim met a dog called Tigon. For more than three years, Tim and Tigon endured searing heat and bitter cold; dark lonely nights when wolves circled their camp; hunger; despair; joy; and the wild beauty of the landscape that changed constantly around them. They met the people of the steppe, who welcomed Tim and Tigon into their homes, and shared their traditions and histories. This is the story of a unique journey - a journey filled with the spirit of the pioneering explorers of old. It is the story of an extraordinary friendship. Praise for On the Trail of Genghis Khan 'An inspiration to me and I believe he will be an inspiration for many.' Elizabeth Gilbert 'An epic tale of an epic journey, told with beauty and simplicity.' Tim Macartney-Snape, mountaineer, first Australian to summit Mount Everest
Download or read book Love with a Chance of Drowning written by Torre DeRoche and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2013-05-14 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New love. Exotic destinations. A once-in-a-lifetime adventure. What could go wrong? City girl Torre DeRoche isn't looking for love, but a chance encounter in a San Francisco bar sparks an instant connection with a soulful Argentinean man who unexpectedly sweeps her off her feet. The problem? He's just about to cast the dock lines and voyage around the world on his small sailboat, and Torre is terrified of deep water. However, lovesick Torre determines that to keep the man of her dreams, she must embark on the voyage of her nightmares, so she waves good-bye to dry land and braces for a life-changing journey that's as exhilarating as it is terrifying. Somewhere mid-Pacific, she finds herself battling to keep the old boat, the new relationship, and her floundering sanity afloat. . . . This sometimes hilarious, often harrowing, and always poignant memoir is set against a backdrop of the world's most beautiful and remote destinations. Equal parts love story and travel memoir, Love with a Chance of Drowning is witty, charming, and proof positive that there are some risks worth taking.
Download or read book Desert Places written by Robyn Davidson and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2013-12-31 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling author of Tracks: A travel writer’s memoir of her year with the nomadic Rabari tribe on the border between Pakistan and India. India’s Thar Desert has been the home of the Rabari herders for thousands of years. In 1990, Australian Robyn Davidson, “as natural a travel writer as she is an adventurer,” spent a year with the Rabari, whose livelihood is increasingly endangered by India’s rapid development (The New Yorker). Enduring the daily hardships of life in the desert while immersed in the austere beauty of the arid landscape, Davidson subsisted on a diet of goat milk, roti, and parasite-infested water. She collided with India’s rigid caste system and cultural idiosyncrasies, confronted extreme sleep deprivation, and fought feelings of alienation amid the nation’s isolated rural peoples—finding both intense suffering and a renewed sense of beauty and belonging among the Rabari family. Rich with detail and honest in its depictions of cultural differences, Desert Places is an unforgettable story of fortitude in the face of struggle and an ode to the rapidly disappearing way of life of the herders of northwestern India. “Davidson will both disturb and exhilarate readers with the acuity of her observations, the sting of her wit, and the candor of her emotions” (Booklist).
Download or read book The Incredible Life of Hubert Wilkins written by Peter FitzSimons and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2022-05-05 with total page 834 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sir Hubert Wilkins is one of the most remarkable Australians who ever lived. The son of pioneer pastoralists in South Australia, Hubert studied engineering before moving on to photography. In 1908 he sailed for England and a job producing films with the Gaumont Film Co. Brave and bold, he became a polar expeditioner, a brilliant war photographer, a spy in the Soviet Union, a pioneering aviator-navigator, a death-defying submariner - all while being an explorer and chronicler of the planet and its life forms that would do Vasco da Gama and Sir David Attenborough proud. As a WW1 photographer he was twice awarded the Military Cross for bravery under fire, the only Australian photographer in any war to be decorated. He explored the Antarctic with Sir Ernest Shackleton, led a groundbreaking ornithological study in Australia and was knighted in 1928 for his aviation exploits, but many more astounding achievements would follow. Wilkins' quest for knowledge and polar explorations were lifelong passions and his missions to polar regions aboard the submarine Nautilus the stuff of legend. With masterful storytelling skill, Peter FitzSimons illuminates the life of Hubert Wilkins and his incredible achievements. Thrills and spills, derring-do, new worlds discovered - this is the most unforgettable tale of the most extraordinary life lived by any Australian.
