The Woodlanders of Walden Hut

The Woodlanders of Walden Hut begins with the story of three young nature writers who, soon after Federation, observed the bush from a hut beside Olinda Creek. The book goes back to the life and work of HD Thoreau, whose book Walden inspired them, and forward to those influenced by them in their turn. In doing so the book explores children's literature, appreciation of nature (embodied, sensual and scientific), gender, spirituality and the Indigenous, thus contributing to an understanding of the history of Australian conservation and nature writing. The story of the Woodlanders demonstrates links between writing, art, photography and illustration, and between naturalists in the Melbourne suburbs, around Australia and overseas.

Janice Newton, Karen Phillips and Paula Herlihy OAM are from the Mt Evelyn History Group and have collaborated since the 1990s on publications including Tracks to Trails: a History of Mt Evelyn, 1997, 2001; Aborigines in the Yarra Valley and Northern Dandenongs, 2011, 2016; and Hidden Histories of Mt Evelyn, 2021.