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by H. J. Tompkins (Author)
Published in 1906, "With Swag & Billy" was Australia's very first bushwalking (hiking) manual and guidebook.
Packed with hints on equipment, provisions and hiking tips borne from long experience tramping in heavy leather boots, "With Swag and Billy" also includes dozens of detailed bushwalking routes throughout New South Wales, from half-day outings to 10-day epics. Interestingly, a few of these routes could still be walked today, over one hundred and ten years after the publication of the books, thanks to tracks described which had later become busy roads now being bypassed by major freeways and becoming quiet once more.
The book provides a rare look at an iconic Australian pastime while it was still in its infancy and it is an invaluable reference for those hardy men and women who today, in the 21st Century, choose to bushwalk with a canvas knapsack or a swag and nose bag in the fashion described in "With Swag and Billy" more than 100 years ago.
If you're a bushwalker, then this book is a slice of your history. This reprint edition is not a collector's item, so don't be afraid to throw a copy in the top of your pack (or swag) for use as a guidebook on your own bush meanderings through the areas described.
This new edition from Ropesend Creek Press is a perfect replica of the original. Page numbering, illustrations, layout, table of contents, index and any footnotes are exactly as they appeared when the original book was published. With this new edition, the book is ready for a new lease of life through a modern readership.
