The Best Australian Yarns And Other True Stories

Best Australian Yarns is a substantial and definitive collection of factual and fanciful Aussie stories, humor, and anecdotes—the result of decades of researching popular Aussie culture and history, and yarning to mates and other colorful characters from all parts of Australia.This collection includes tall stories from the bush, reminiscences from the racetrack and shearing shed, railway yarns, stories from the world of show business, Aboriginal legends and humor, digger stories from both world wars, ghost stories, monsters, bunyips, and yowies. . . and many things you never knew about Australia's amazing history and the characters who made it—the pioneers, heroes, convicts, bushrangers, eccentrics, and brave and forgotten men and women whose fascinating lives and achievements created the Aussie spirit. While the stories range from poignant to hilarious, many simply describe unusual coincidences, strange occurrences, or simple everyday humorous events with a refreshing understatement that vividly evokes a vanishing Australia where looking for a good laugh was a key component of a cheekier national character and a simpler lifestyle.

Jim Haynes is one of Australia's most successful and prolific authors. Before becoming a professional entertainer, songwriter, verse writer and singer in 1988, he taught writing, literature, history, and drama. While teaching he gained two masters' degrees in literature, from New England University and the University of Wales. He is the author of bestselling books on trucking, railways, aviation, horse racing, and the sea.