Book; Southern Spirit By Ian Dougherty

Southern Spirit: The People and Places of Southland is writer and keen tramper, Ian Dougherty’s take on a region he regards as part of his extended back yard.

The book is a celebration of southern landscapes, from the fantastic fiords in the west and across the green plains to a fossil forest in the east.

It introduces readers to unique flora and fauna, from one of the world’s rarest plants to some of its rarest birds. It serves up a platter of mouth-watering delicacies, from oysters to cheese rolls.

It acquaints readers with old and new settlers, authors and artists, brewers and distillers, champion shearers and sawyers, and machines and the people who collect them. And it lays out the region as an enormous playground relished by locals and visitors alike.