Fatal Shore

Probably more people have read Robert Hughes' "Beyond the Fatal Shore" which focuses on the horrors of such places as Norfolk Island and Port Arthur where only the most incorrigible convicts were sent.

What happened when people went mad in the fledgling colony of New South Wales? In this important new history of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, we find out through the correspondence of tireless colonial secretaries, the brazen language of lawyers and judges and firebrand politicians, and heartbreaking letters from siblings, parents and friends. We also hear from the mad themselves.

Melbourne music legend Mick Harvey unveils his latest solo album, Five Ways to Say Goodbye, via Mute. Five Ways to Say Goodbye marks Harvey’s fifth solo album, featuring an introspective blend of originals and covers brimming with wistful acoustic rock gems. The record includes Harvey’s translated reworking of Marlene Dietrich’s 1950s ode to Berlin, “A Suitcase in Berlin” (“Ich Hab’ Noch Einen Koffer in Berlin”), which was released as a standalone single in 2023, hinting at the forthcoming album.