"Combining the heroic, the tragic, the bizarre and the humorous, this history book takes the reader along the intriguing highways and byways of Australian exploration, focusing on the tricks and tools of the explorers trade. Impeccably researched and featuring many extracts from explorers diaries and letters, it is packed with ripping yarns and fascinating details revealing the identities, experiences, motivations and in particular the modus operandi of Australias colonial explorers. It focuses on many of Australia's lesser known explorers: Aborigines, women, convicts, non British." -- Provided by publisher.