An epic journey of discovery into the heart of a vast and contested Australian wilderness. In Wild Nature John Blay laces up his walking boots and goes bush to explore Australia's rugged southeast forests - stretching from Canberra to the coast and on to Wilsons Promontory - in a great circle from his home in Bermagui. In this compelling book, the bestselling author of On Track charts the forests' natural history, their Indigenous history and the first European incursions, the forest wars, the establishment of the South East Forests National Park, and the threats that continue to face their existence, including devastating bushfires. Along the way Blay asks the big questions. What do we really know about these wild forests? How did the forests come to be the way they are? What is the importance of wild nature to our civilisation?