A Walk Around the Block: Thoughts on the natural history of Central Australia by Peter Latz (out 8 August 2026)
“I’ve come to see that the journey I’ve been on to rehabilitate my bush block is all part of a larger jigsaw about the pre-history and ecology of Central Australia.” Peter Latz
Thirty years ago, Peter Latz bought into a property near Alice Springs. As he began to clear the block of invasive buffel grass, little did he know about the potential lying under the soil. What Latzy saw unfold over three decades as his block transformed into a species-rich haven, fed into his ideas about the underlying natural processes of Central Australia.
Drawing on the wisdom of Aboriginal people, the insights of Western science, and decades as a botanist and ecologist, Latzy takes readers on a walk through time from the perspective of his remarkable bush block, always observing, questioning and learning about the changing world and our place in it.
Peter Latz has had a lifetime of work and wandering in the dry country of Central Australia on cattle stations, botanical expeditions, conservation reserves, research projects and paleaontological digs. His deep understanding of the ecology of Central Australia comes from working beside Aboriginal people and experts in western science, combined with his observations and insights. Susanna Bryceson is a plant ecologist who began visiting Latzy ten years ago. Together, they walked his block and wider district, sharing ideas about the evolution of Australian ecosystems.
