
AUSTRALIAN FAIRY TALES
PREFACE
FOREWORD.
THE MAGIC WELL
THE FAIRY CITY
THE PRINCE’S PALACE
THE PRINCE’S MARRIAGE
THE SKYLARK’S STORY
GOURDS AND QUINCES
THE GRAPE VINE’S STORY
In this charming collection, the familiar sparkle of fairy wings meets the rugged beauty of the Australian outback. Each story introduces a tribe of sprites, bushland princes, and desert enchantresses who dwell among eucalyptus groves, red‑gum cliffs and sun‑baked dunes. The tales echo classic motifs—kindhearted heroes, mischievous tricksters, and moral lessons—while rooting them firmly in a landscape of kangaroos, kookaburras and ancient Dreamtime echoes. Listeners will find the ordinary transformed, as ordinary rocks become stepping stones to hidden kingdoms and moonlit billabongs hide secret portals.
The narrator frames the tales as bedtime adventures told on quiet Sunday evenings, addressing three lively children whose curiosity drives the storytelling. Warm, conversational language invites listeners to imagine the rustle of gum leaves and the twinkle of fairy lights beyond ordinary sight. Beautiful illustrations accompany the narration, making the collection a vivid auditory journey for young listeners and anyone who still believes in a little magic.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (188K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Australia: J. Howlett-Ross, 1925.
Credits
Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net/ for Project Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
Sep 18, 2022
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1866–1942
Best known for Australian Fairy Tales, this New Zealand-born Australian writer mixed a lively public life with a strong interest in national identity and storytelling. His work helped bring local settings and folklore into children's fiction at a time when much fairy literature still looked to Europe.
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