Looking from the North by Henry Reynolds

Henry Reynolds’ ground-breaking re-examination of Australian colonisation from the north down.

When acclaimed historian Henry Reynolds moved from Hobart to Townsville to teach Australian history in the 1960s, he discovered the books of the period covered very little about northern Australia and First Nations peoples. After recognising the importance of local history and frontier violence, he ended up transforming Australian history in ways he could never have imagined. In Looking from the North Reynolds again turns Australian history on its axis in an exploration of colonisation north of the Tropic of Capricorn. Reynolds explores the stories of the European, Chinese, Japanese and Pacific Islander people who were vital to the settlement of the north. Along with the experience of First Nations peoples, from employment on stations and as native police, to the land rights and homelands movements. Reynolds shows how the colonisation of the north, beginning in 1861, was a very different venture to settlement in the south, and argues that it provides profoundly important lessons for the world we live in today.

Acclaimed historian Henry Reynolds turns Australian history on its axis in a ground-breaking exploration of how colonisation north of the Tropic of Capricorn was very different to the southern states.

About the Author:

Henry Reynolds’ pioneering work has changed the way we see the intertwining of black and white history in Australia. His books with NewSouth include The Other Side of the Frontier (reissue); What’s Wrong with Anzac? (as co-author); Forgotten War, which won the Victorian Premier’s Award for Non-Fiction; Unnecessary WarsThis Whispering in Our Hearts RevisitedTruth-Telling: History, Sovereignty and the Uluru Statement and most recently Tongerlongeter: First Nations Leader and Tasmanian War Hero (as co-author).

01 Nov 2025
 

Looking from the North: Australian history from the top down by Henry Reynolds ISBN 9781761170119