Mike Carlton:
The Burning Blue
Thursday 6 August | 6pm
National Press Club of Australia
Aviation. Adventure. Survival. The untold story of Australia's naval air pioneers.
Bestselling author and former broadcaster Mike Carlton comes to the National Press Club to discuss The Burning Blue - a sweeping and exhilarating history of the Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet Air Arm and the extraordinary Australians who flew, fought and survived at sea.
Why would anyone attempt to land an aircraft on the deck of a moving ship in darkness, rough weather and heavy seas? What drove generations of pilots and aircrew to take such risks? And how did Australia help shape the history of naval aviation?
Drawing on years of research, personal letters and firsthand accounts, Carlton brings these remarkable stories to life in a conversation that spans world wars, aircraft carriers, combat missions, sea rescues and technological innovation. From pioneering aviators and wartime aces to the challenges of Korea, Vietnam and beyond, The Burning Blue reveals a little-known chapter of Australian history through the experiences of those who lived it.
Packed with courage, drama, rivalry, ingenuity and sacrifice, this is history at its most compelling - told by one of Australia's finest narrative historians.
Whether you're passionate about military history, aviation, Australian stories or simply great storytelling, don't miss this opportunity to hear Mike Carlton discuss his acclaimed new book and the extraordinary people behind it.
About Mike Carton:
In a working life of more than fifty years, Mike Carlton was one of Australia's best-known media figures in radio, television and newspapers. Beginning as a cadet journalist at the ABC, he became a war correspondent in Vietnam and was the ABC's Bureau Chief in Jakarta. He also reported for the ABC from London, New York and major Asian capitals. In television, he worked on the ABC's ground-breaking This Day Tonight in the 1970s and for Nine Network News and A Current Affair.
In 1980 Mike turned to talk radio, first in Sydney then in London’, where he won a coveted Sony Radio Academy award in 1993 for Britain's best talk breakfast show. His radio satire on current affairs, Friday News Review, was ‘must listening’ in Australia and the UK.
For many years he wrote a popular weekly column for the Sydney Morning Herald.
Mike has had a life-long passion for naval history and is the author of Cruiser, First Victory, Flagship, The Scrap Iron Flotilla and Dive!. In 2025 he received a Navy Gold Commendation for his outstanding commitment and contribution to the Royal Australian Navy. It's very rare for someone outside Defence to receive a commendation and Mike's contribution was described as ‘exemplary’ by the Navy's chief, Vice Admiral Hammond.
Andrew Upton:
Krank Fuss
Wednesday 12 August | 6.30pm
The Street Theatre
Be among the first to experience the extraordinary debut novel from acclaimed playwright, screenwriter and former Sydney Theatre Company Artistic Director Andrew Upton, in conversation with fellow visionary and former STC Artistic Director Kip Williams.
Written as a story for his unborn daughter and set on a small farm in Nazi Germany on the eve of war, Krank Fuss is a haunting modern fable about innocence, courage and the choices that define us.
When a young chicken born with a deformed foot is shunned by the flock, she finds an unlikely companion in Gibby, a toad who believes themself to be a frog. Together they venture beyond the boundaries of the farm, discovering friendship, resilience and a world where kindness exists alongside unimaginable cruelty. As the shadow of fascism closes in, Krank Fuss must confront the unsettling truth that while we cannot choose the circumstances of our lives, our choices still matter.
Evoking the allegorical power of Animal Farm and the raw imagination of Art Brut, Krank Fuss is a deeply moving exploration of prejudice, belonging and hope. At once timeless and urgently contemporary, it asks what it means to preserve wonder and humanity in an increasingly fractured world.
In this special event, Andrew Upton discusses the remarkable journey from theatre to fiction, the inspirations behind his first novel, and the enduring power of storytelling, in conversation with internationally acclaimed director Kip Williams.
About Andrew Upton
Andrew Upton is one of Australia's most celebrated writers for stage and screen. His original plays include Hanging Man and Riflemind, alongside acclaimed adaptations of classics including Hedda Gabler, The Cherry Orchard, Cyrano de Bergerac, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Seagull.
As Co-Artistic Director (with Cate Blanchett) and later Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company, he led the company through a landmark period of international success, with productions touring to Broadway, London's Barbican and theatres across Europe and the United States. He also developed major adaptations for the UK's National Theatre, bringing overlooked Russian masterpieces to new audiences.
More recently, as a principal of Dirty Films, he has produced acclaimed films and television including The New Boy, Shayda, Fingernails and Stateless, and co-created the Audible Original series Climate of Change.
Kip Williams is a Tony-nominated, award-winning theatre and opera director, and former Artistic Director and Co-CEO of Sydney Theatre Company. He conceived, wrote and directed The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring Sarah Snook, and directed Dracula, starring Cynthia Erivo. Renowned for innovative productions across theatre and opera, Williams has received multiple awards for his acclaimed stage work.
Holly Ringland:
The World Beneath Her Feet
Sunday 13 September | 3.30pm
Lerida Estate Winery
An Unmissable Literary Event with Holly Ringland.
Join us at the stunning Lerida Estate Winery for an unforgettable afternoon with acclaimed bestselling author Holly Ringland as she celebrates the launch of her highly anticipated new novel, The World Beneath Her Feet.
In conversation with Bookish Bron, Holly will share the inspiration behind her most personal novel yet - a luminous and deeply moving story about memory, belonging, love, and the landscapes that shape us.
From the beloved author of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding comes a breathtaking new work that showcases Ringland’s signature lyrical storytelling, rich emotional depth, and vivid connection to the natural world. Blending nature, music, art, and the beauty of the Australian landscape, The World Beneath Her Feet is an immersive novel that will captivate readers from the very first page.
At the heart of the story is Maggie Byrd, a woman who appears to have built the perfect life in London. Working among fossils and precious gems at the Natural History Museum and sharing her home with the two people she loves most, Maggie seems content. But beneath the surface lies a painful past she has spent years trying to forget. When she unexpectedly inherits her beloved uncle’s rewilded property in a lush valley of southeast Queensland, the life she has carefully constructed begins to unravel, forcing her to confront the memories, losses, and truths she left behind.
Set against a backdrop of extraordinary landscapes and profound emotional discovery, The World Beneath Her Feet is a powerful exploration of home, identity, and the enduring pull of the places that live within us.
Book now and be among the first to hear Holly discuss this remarkable new novel in the beautiful surrounds of Lerida Estate Winery.
Holly Ringland is a writer, storyteller and TV presenter whose books have sold over 600,000 copies globally and been published in 30 international territories. Ringland’s 2018 debut novel, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart won the Australian Book Industry Award General Fiction Book of the Year and was adapted into a smash-hit seven-part TV series starring Sigourney Weaver. In 2021, Holly co-hosted an eight-episode ABC TV series, Back to Nature, with Aaron Pedersen. After living between Australia and the UK for ten years, Holly has been based in the Yugambeh/Bundjalung regions of southeast Queensland since 2020, where she wrote her second novel, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, in her ‘office’, a vintage caravan named Frenchie. Upon publication, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding became an instant national bestseller, and it was named Booktopia’s 2022 Book of the Year. In 2023, Holly published her first non-fiction book, the national bestseller The House That Joy Built, about the essential power of creativity, something she continues to write about in her beloved and bestselling Substack The Joy Rise.
Bron Swasbrick is a lifelong booklover, reader, and reviewer, who has been talking about books online for about a decade and gets especially excited about Australian writers and their stories. You can find Bron discussing her latest and most favourite reads on Instagram @bookishbron and on her website BookishBron.com