"Black Duck A Year at Yumburra" By Bruce Pascoe
A personal reflection on life, Country and the consequences of Dark Emu through six seasons on Bruce Pascoe’s farm.
‘Sometimes you need to repeat something a hundred times before a bell rings in the colony.’
From the bestselling author Bruce Pascoe comes a deeply personal story about the consequences and responsibility of disrupting Australia’s history.
When Dark Emu was adopted by Australia like a new anthem, Bruce found himself at the centre of a national debate that often focussed on the wrong part of the story. But through all the noise came Black Duck Foods, a blueprint for traditional food growing and land management processes based on very old practices.
Bruce Pascoe and Lyn Harwood invite us to imagine a different future for Australia, one where we can honour our relationship with nature and improve agriculture and forestry. Where we can develop a uniquely Australian cuisine that will reduce carbon emissions, preserve scarce water resources and rebuild our soil. Bruce and Lyn show us that you don’t just work Country, you look, listen and care. It’s not Black Duck magic, it’s the result of simply treating Australia like herself.
From the aftermath of devastating bushfires and the impact of an elder’s death to rebuilding a marriage and counting the personal cost of starting a movement, Black Duck is a remarkable glimpse into a year of finding strength in Country at Yumburra.
- ISBN: 9781760763114
- ISBN-10: 176076311X
- Published: 26th March 2024
- Format: Paperback
- Language: English
- Number of Pages: 304
- Audience: General Adult
- Publisher: Thames & Hudson Australia Pty Ltd
- Country of Publication: AU
- Dimensions (cm): 23 x 15 x 3
- Weight (kg): 0.39
More About The Artist
More About The Artist


About Bruce Pascoe
About Bruce Pascoe
Bruce Pascoe is a highly acclaimed Yuin, Bunurong and Tasmanian author whose work has reshaped the landscape of Australian literature. Celebrated for both adult and young adult titles, Bruce brings history, culture and truth-telling to the forefront of his storytelling.
His groundbreaking book Dark Emu (Magabala Books, 2014) won the NSW Premier’s Book of the Year and sparked national conversation around Aboriginal agricultural history. Its young readers’ edition, Young Dark Emu, received the CBCA Eve Pownall Award in 2020. Bruce also received the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction for Fog a Dox (2012), and in 2018 was honoured with the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature.
A passionate advocate for truth-telling, Bruce draws from his diverse life experiences—teacher, farmer, language researcher, editor—to create works that challenge and inspire. He lives on his farm in Gippsland, Victoria, continuing to write stories that illuminate and empower.
Bruce Pascoe is a highly acclaimed Yuin, Bunurong and Tasmanian author whose work has reshaped the landscape of Australian literature. Celebrated for both adult and young adult titles, Bruce brings history, culture and truth-telling to the forefront of his storytelling.
His groundbreaking book Dark Emu (Magabala Books, 2014) won the NSW Premier’s Book of the Year and sparked national conversation around Aboriginal agricultural history. Its young readers’ edition, Young Dark Emu, received the CBCA Eve Pownall Award in 2020. Bruce also received the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction for Fog a Dox (2012), and in 2018 was honoured with the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature.
A passionate advocate for truth-telling, Bruce draws from his diverse life experiences—teacher, farmer, language researcher, editor—to create works that challenge and inspire. He lives on his farm in Gippsland, Victoria, continuing to write stories that illuminate and empower.