Wild Nature: Walking Australia's South East Forests

An epic journey of discovery into the heart of a vast and contested Australian wilderness.

John Blay laces up his walking boots and goes bush to explore Australia's rugged south east forests – stretching from Canberra to the coast and on to Wilsons Promontory – in a great circle from his one-time home near Bermagui.

In Wild Nature, the bestselling author of On Track charts the forests' shared history, their natural history, the forest wars, the establishment of the South East Forests National Park and the threats that continue to dog their existence, including devastating bushfires. Along the way Blay asks the big questions. What do we really know about these wild forests? How did the forests come to be the way they are? What is the importance of wild nature to our civilisation?

About the Author

John Blay is a writer and naturalist born at Parramatta in 1944 and has written extensively about the bush and its people in prose, drama and poetry. During an epic bushwalk in 1982, he discovered a new species of wattle in the Brogo wilderness. Growing to over 30 metres, the species was named Acacia blayana in his honour. He has served as a national Arts & Reviews Editor and has published photographs and stories in magazines like Good Weekend. He continues his work in the SE Forests and writes about the region’s natural history.

After 2001, he has been involved in researching the Bundian Way in association with local Aboriginal communities and as the Bundian Way Project Officer for Eden Local Aboriginal Land Council. His extensive researches and bushwalks whilst investigating the important traditional route, resulted in its official recognition and NSW Heritage listing in 2012.

His prize-winning sculptures have been shown in Sydney, Bermagui, Jindabyne and Delegate. A selection of his photographs was exhibited in Sydney in November 2004 and feature in an ongoing exhibition in Delegate at the Bundian Way Aboriginal Art Gallery (2012-18).