Les Hiddins

This book is pretty good at what it sets out to do. Though there is a hint in the title that it's mainly going to be about finding "bush tucker". And, yes, there is quite a bit about finding bush tucker but there is a lot more to the book than this. It's really a pretty good travel guide to some of the more remote placers in Australia. And Les Hidden's is extremely thorough. From a set of climatic details through to interesting places ..."just a few km off the highway"...there is a wealth of detail there for the intrepid traveler. Plus lots of warnings about "not taking this country lightly" and preparing properly. Also, many warnings about not going into the water in crocodile country. (And a fair bit of the country seems to fall into this category). There are also interesting historical anecdotes about special places where explorers stopped. I noticed that much of the country was not explored until the 1880's and I also noticed his throwaway remark that there are probably many places in the Kimberley where no white man has yet been.
And, not to disappoint,, there is a considerable section on finding bush tucker in the different areas and tips about finding water (dig near rocky outcrops!). Plus there is a section towards the end totally given over to pictures and descriptions of potential bush tucker (plus some to avoid because they are poisonous). Though I found myself wondering whether I would be prepared to eat some of the recommended fruits without some local telling me it was ok, because of the possibility of mis-identification. And, certainly he doesn't cover all the edible plants in Australia. I was looking up the Dianella species which have a bight purple fruit to see what Les said about it. But nary a mention. And there's a reasonable atlas of the main roads at the back of the book...though, given the distances involved (like 1,000 km on the Tanami Track)....I think I might like something a bit more detailed.
But, he's very thorough even giving details about the opening hours of the roadhouses along the way or wildlife to watch out for. My version of the book was published in 1999, but I suspect that most of the information has probably not dated that much. (Maybe a few of the roads have been improved). Happy to give it five stars.… (més)