Tag Archives: ian burnet

The Lombok Treasure

Posted on January 29, 2026 by ianburnet

On 20 February 1894, the Dutch colonial government in Batavia saw the indigenous Sasak rebellion on the island of Lombok against their Balinese masters as an opportunity to extend their control in the East Indies. The Sasak had requested their … Continue reading →

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The Wallace Line

Posted on December 16, 2025 by ianburnet

In 1856, Alfred Russel Wallace sailed from Singapore to Bali and then to Lombok. He wrote in his book ‘The Malay Archipelago’: During the few days which I stayed on the north coast of Bali, on my way to Lombok, … Continue reading →

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The Tasman Map – The Biography of a Map

Posted on November 17, 2025 by ianburnet

Please follow the link below to see a recording of a talk given to the Royal Australian Historical Society on the Tasman Map. https://www.ianburnetbooks.com/

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Dangerous Passage talk on You Tube

Posted on June 26, 2025 by ianburnet

Courtesy of the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland https://www.ianburnetbooks.com

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Eddy Koiki Mabo and Mer Island in the Torres Strait

Posted on May 22, 2025 by ianburnet

June 3rd is Mabo Day, when we celebrate Eddy Koiko Mabo, the man who changed Australian history A turning point in Koiki’s life happened while he was working on campus as a gardener at James Cook University. University historians Noel … Continue reading →

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Dangerous Passage – Book Review by Mark Heyward

Posted on January 30, 2025 by ianburnet

Dangerous Passage (Alfred Press, 2024) is Ian Burnet’s seventh book, his fifth on the maritime history of Australia and Southeast Asia. Burnet’s previous six books explore various aspects of the history of European exploration and colonisation of the region, along … Continue reading →

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The Rattlesnake by Sir Oswald Brierly

Posted on December 4, 2024 by ianburnet

 After a general grounding in art, Oswald Brierly went to Plymouth to study naval architecture and rigging. Then in 1841, he started on a voyage to Australia with his friend Benjamin Boyd in the latter’s yacht Wanderer. Boyd established a new … Continue reading →

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Dangerous Passage – Book Launch at the Australian National Maritime Museum

Posted on October 30, 2024 by ianburnet

Please put Thursday 28 November at 12pm in your calendar, as the date for the book launch of Dangerous Passage at the Australian National Maritime Museum Please follow the link below to register for this free event. https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/book-launch-dangerous-passage-ian-burnet-tickets-1015965619517 http://www.ianburnetbooks.com

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Dangerous Passage at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

Posted on October 15, 2024 by ianburnet

Ian Burnet is an Australian author who has spent thirty years living, working, and traveling in Indonesia, and his books reflect his fascination with the diverse history of the vast archipelago to the north of Australia. He is the author … Continue reading →

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From Jozef Konrad Korzeniowski to Joseph Conrad – An Outcast of the Islands

Posted on September 26, 2024 by ianburnet

The fact that his first book, Almayer’s Folly, almost immediately met with extraordinary critical acclaim would have certainly started Joseph Conrad thinking about another book. Conrad’s imagination returned to East Borneo, the Berau River, and his meeting there with Carel … Continue reading →

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