'It is great to have a book that covers the whole, truly amazing, story of the maritime discovery of Australia. It also adds great insight into the mostly tragic clash of cultures between the Europeans and indigenous people.' - John Longley AM, Chair of the Duyfken Foundation

Graham Seal is Professor of Folklore at Curtin University, and a leading expert on Australian cultural history. He is author of the bestselling Great Australian Stories and Larrikins, Bush Tales and Other Great Australian Stories.

Map..Introduction..Notes on usage..Prologue..1 Imagining the unknown Southland..2 First encounters..3 'More like monsters'..4 Blood islands..5 Paper voyages..6 Death of the dragon..7 Cliffs of fire..8 The ship of doom..9 Skeleton coasts..10 Empires collide..11 The unknown coast 204..12 The last legend..13 Surviving the Southland..Afterword: With the bones..Acknowledgements..Notes..Bibliography..Index