Caught between two worlds, like his fictional character, Arthur W Upfield was thoroughly English and yet also an Australian nationalist describing Outback Australia to the world through his part Aboriginal character. This biography helps readers understand the story of his life and that of his true homeland, Australia.

As Australia developed, Upfield's Bush, his "Australia Proper", slowly succumbed to modernization. After the war, Upfield left the Bush to become a successful writer eventually to be published in a wide range of languages and selling books in the millions of copies.The biography relies on letters, papers, and public documents of the period, in Australia, England and America, many unexplored before now, in order to understand the story of his life and that of his true homeland, Australia.