The Author

Robert Onfray worked for 33 years as a professional forester, land manager, and later oversaw land access in Queensland’s mining industry. Now retired, he devotes his time to historical research and writing, while also publishing monthly blogs on land management issues across Australia and sharing historical stories gathered during three years of travel around the country.

His first book, Fires, Farms and Forests: a human history of Surrey Hills, north-west Tasmania (2020), explores the environmental and cultural history of a remarkable Tasmanian landscape. It traces how Aboriginal fire shaped native grasslands from rainforests, the challenges faced by the Van Diemen’s Land Company in establishing European farming after settlement, the rise of a pulp and paper industry built on the estate’s timber resources, and the enduring struggle to balance industry, ecosystems, and community life.

Robert spent his later school years in Maryborough, where he first developed a connection with Fraser Island. In the early 1980s, he worked on the island as a forestry student, staying at Central Station and exploring remote areas rarely seen by visitors. Those experiences inspired his lifelong fascination with the island’s history and forests.