A Journey in Antipodean Land

Here is the journey of Filipino-Australian culture, a chapter of Australia’s multicultural history that little is known about. In searching for answers to fill some blank spaces in the Filipino-Australian heritage, this book delves into the wanderlust of its pioneers – the early Manilamen whose ‘diasporic’ trajectories began with the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade.

It traces the beginnings of their presence in the northern coastal region of Australia. It traces that heritage through intricate and sometimes blurry threads of history. The journey explores a people and a many-sided culture that every now and then emerges from the shadows of its benevolent conquistador. It explores the controversial issue of Filipino women’s exodus in the 1980s and reaches out to the fringes of the new millennium.

About the author Norma Hennessy was born in the Cordilleras of the Philippines' Northern Luzon. She has a Philippine degree of BS Commerce, and has specialised in travel, tourism and freelance journalism. As well, she turned to creative arts in the 1980s , in visual and multi-media. In 1997, she moved with her husband Anthony and two children to Adelaide, Australia.