The Ice and the Inland

Mawson, Flynn, and the Myth of the Frontier

Brigid Hains

The frontier mythology of the early twentieth-century is epitomised in the stories of these two extraordinary--and very different--men.

Awards

Shortlisted for 2003 NSW Premier's History Awards--Australian History Prize

Opinion

'The Ice and the Iceland constitutes an innovative approach to the study of an Australian settler life style conciousness, yet it may be also indicative of the durability of terra nullius in its many different forms, including conservationist discourse.' (JAS Review of Books, April 2003)

'Overall The Ice and the Inland is a valuable and most readable contribution to frontier studies. It ably compares and contrasts Antarctic and the inland, it explains the origins of wilderness conservation today, and it gives a fresh view of two great Australians.' (The Canberra Times, 30 August 2003)

About this Title

An elegant, original and very well written book, luminous with meaning, full of superb cameos and suggestive arguments . . . the central figures are both charismatic, articulate and iconic: they are central to any estimation of twentieth-century Australian cultural and environmental history.
Dr Tom Griffiths, Australian National University

This is a path-breaking work . . . the environmental aspect of the work is powerful, and there are some wonderful ideas about what is 'civilised' and what is 'wilderness'. Brigid Hains has reinvigorated the tradition of 'frontier studies'.
Dr Jane Carruthers, University of South Africa

The frontier mythology of the early twentieth century laid the groundwork for the wilderness cult of contemporary Australian life. It became etched in the Australian imagination through the image of folk heroes such as Douglas Mawson and John Flynn, promising national renewal through virile heroism and an encounter with 'wild' nature.

Most frontier histories in Australia have focused on race relations; this is among the first to focus on the frontier as an ecological phenomenon. It draws on rich primary sources, many of which have never been published, including Antarctic diaries, and the letters and journalism of John Flynn.

In this superb account Brigid Hains offers:
* a new interpretation of two Australian folk heroes and their iconic status in Australian culture
* a fresh approach to frontier history that focuses on the landscape rather than on racial conflict, and
* an explanation of the origins of wilderness conservation in Australia.

Mawson's Antarctic exploration and Flynn's Australian Inland Mission both drew on imperial and trans-Pacific influences, such as imperial adventure literature, the cult of polar exploration, the rural life movement, population theory and eugenics.

The Ice and the Inland compares these two Australian folk heroes and analyses the reasons for their popularity. It raises a number of topical issues, including the role of Australia in the international management of Antarctica; Flynn's treatment of Aboriginal people; the reasons for conservation of Australia's wild places, from the arid Centre to the frozen wastes of Antarctica; and relationships between the country and the bush, and between the metropolis and the frontier.

Table of Contents

Illustrations
Conversions
Acknowledgements

Prelude: Beltana, South Australia, 1911

Part 1: Mawson of the Antarctic: The Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-14
1 'Life opens up to one': The call of the Antarctic frontier
2 'Weirdness and beauty': The Antarctic wilderness
3 'True scientists for everything': The technological frontier
4 'The dear old penguins': At home in Antarctic nature

Interlude: From the Ice to the Inland

Part 2: Flynn of the Inland, 1900-32
5 'Bushborn conquerors over nature': The city, the bush, and the frontier ideal
6 'Australia is a weird land': Frontier anxieties
7 'Essential unity': The organic nation
8 'A mantle of safety': Domesticating the frontier

Finale: 'A wild precision, a strict disorder'

Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Brigid Hains is a freelance historian and writer.