If Matthew Flinders Had Wings

If Mathew Flinders had wings
Circumnavigating Australia
by air and sea.
Richard Buxton, Hardie Grant Books ISBN 978-1-74066-644-2

There are two very good reasons to buy this beautiful coffee table book about Richard Buxton’s circumnavigations of Australia in his Cavalier 395 Epsilon and a single-engined Cessna aircraft.

The first is that its 280 pages and 550 photographs are an incredible record of parts of Australia that few people can ever see, accompanied by a very readable narrative of the two journeys which took place between 2000 and 2007. Buxton’s own diary is interspersed with excerpts of Flinders’ writings when he explored the same areas while mapping the Australian coastline between 1801 and 1803.

The second is that every purchase raises funds for dementia research, with more than a quarter of a million dollars raised so far. There are 234,640 Australians with dementia and over 1,100 new cases diagnosed every week.

For those who have sailed along these remote coastlines of Australia, the aerial photographs in particular offer a new insight into some of the ports and bays we encounter at sea level. This two-dimensional view of Australia meeting the sea is unique and fascinating for anyone interested in sailing.

The books are priced at $69.95 each, which is excellent value for a true coffee table tome, and can be purchased online at www.epsilonresearch.com.au or by phoning Alex Attfield on (03) 9644 7000. Every dollar goes directly to support research by Alzheimer’s Australia.

- Roger McMillan

www.boatbooks.com.au