It’s a fictional novel, but you will be forgiven for believing otherwise. Butterfly Song explores the shift in Australian society through the eyes of a Torres Strait Island family in far north Queensland.

But it wasn’t just about land or native title it was recognition of culture, history, and significant artifacts. In 1992, the Australian High Court made a landmark decision for Indigenous land rights in Australia: no more Terra Nullius. I acknowledge and respect the vital contribution Indigenous people and cultures have made and still make to the nation we share, Australia, and the literary community. I pay my respects to all Aboriginal Elders, past, present, and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who read this article. #strayaĪuthor’s Note: I acknowledge and pay my respects to the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters on which I stand the Cammeraygal People of the Guringai Tribe of the Eora Nation. You’ll need an even bigger list of diverse reading to really get a sense of the place. Australia is a big country with even bigger contrasts across the land. In all honesty, some of these books do a better job than most travel guides and tourism brochures! The only mistake you can make is thinking that it’s all the same thing. The best books set in Australia embrace this, making the country as much a character as the colourful larrikins telling the story. It’s rare to find books set in Australia that don’t include beautiful descriptions of our landscape. Our storytellers come from the earth, connected to both the land and the people. We are a weird bunch “Down Under,” an uneven mix of the oldest continuing living culture in the world and still relatively young victims of British colonialism.

Butterfly Song by Terri Janke