Books and more

This newly published book is a very readable account of the development of the City of Unley, covering the pre-colonisation era, as well as 150 years as a municipality. It is attractively illustrated with a great range of photos.  

It is designed for the reader to dip in and out of, depending on their interest, with chapters organised by themes such as architecture, transport, sport, and commerce. The chapters build a very well researched picture of the pressures Unley faces today, especially since the 1970’s, such as busy traffic flows on 4 major north-south roads, the very real risks of flooding, and the challenges of increasing housing stock in a well planned way. Council agendas have certainly changed, and residents use their voices. 

The first chapter provides an excellent overview of how the Kaurna people favoured the well watered and fertile land in what became Unley, actively managed the grasslands and woodlands, build semi-permanent huts or wardli, and the tools they used. There are numerous references throughout this book to Kaurna language, seasons and food sources.  

“Unley Inner City Life” was commissioned by the City of Unley and researched and jointly written by two very experienced journalists, Tim Lloyd and Louise Nunn. Both have specialised in the arts. Tim also has expertise in history and is a member of the SA Heritage Council. The publisher is Wakefield Press.  

Thank you to Unley Ally, Helen Fulcher for this book review.

In this follow-up to his bestselling Fire Country, Victor Steffensen offers a positive pathway for healing the planet based on traditional Indigenous knowledge systems.

‘Indigenous knowledge must lead us out of the emergency of climate change and species extinction. Buy this book.’ David Suzuki

Catastrophic wildfires have overwhelmed countries around the world from Australia, Canada and the United States to Greece and Brazil. Despite our growing climate crisis, changes to Western environmental approaches have been scant and many land management practices continue to destroy the land. It’s time for a ‘new’ way of thinking. The solutions lie in the cultures of First Peoples, if only we’re willing to listen.

As a Tagalaka man from North Queensland, Australia, Victor Steffensen spends his days educating people around the world about Aboriginal fire and land management knowledge. Applying the practices passed onto him by his mentors, Victor is on a mission to teach others the value of this knowledge.

In The Knowledge, Victor shares the simple yet core belief underlying Indigenous knowledge systems: that humans are part of the natural world. The land is not something to be dominated and exploited. Rather, we are nature and the way forward is to realign ourselves with the Earth, recognising our responsibility to care for the planet environmentally and socially. Filled with stories of Victor’s work applying Indigenous solutions, The Knowledge will transform the way you think about our responses to bushfires, floods and the climate crisis.

Never has the call to change our global environmental approach been so strong or so clear. Destined to become a seminal work, The Knowledge is a must-read for anyone concerned about the future of our planet.

Meet the Author: Victor Steffensen

Listen to Victor Steffensen being interviewed by Larissa Behrendt on the ABC Podcast: Speaking Out, on the 21 June 2026 session.

Speaking Out with Larissa Behrendt considers Politics, Arts and Culture from a range of Indigenous perspectives. Speaking Out airs on Radio National on Fridays at 12 noon and is replayed on Sundays on ABC Local Radio at 9pm. It is also conveniently available (including back issues) as a Podcast.

All past sessions can be accessed via the link below: a great listen while driving, gardening, or just some time out.

by Natalie Harkin, Narungga woman born and raised on Kaurna Country.

Natalie is a Narungga creative arts-based Research Fellow with the Indigenous Studies team at Flinders University (Adelaide), Kaurna Yerta. 

Apron-Sorrow / Sovereign-Tea evokes an embodied reckoning with Aboriginal women’s domestic labour and servitude, drawing from oral history and the State’s official record. It explores the complexity of Aboriginal women’s experiences and survival strategies, and intergenerational stories that span loss, love, sorrow, solidarity, resistance, and refusal.

Winner of the Indigenous Writers’ Prize in the 2026 New South Wales Literary Awards
Longlisted for the 2026 ALS Gold Medal
Longlisted for the 2026 Stella Prize
Longlisted for the 2026 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award

“The stories and contrasting voices of Aboriginal people (the girls and their families) and non-Aboriginal people(the Government, institutions, and employers) deeply challenged and moved me as I considered my own family’s involvement as farmers near Narrung in the early 20th century.” Rosalyn Williams, Chair and Webmaster, Unley Allies with First Nations People