author
Jeannie Gunn
1870–1961
Best known for the Australian classic We of the Never-Never, this teacher-turned-writer turned life in the remote Northern Territory into one of the country’s most enduring books. Her work mixes firsthand experience, sharp observation, and a strong sense of place.
2 Audiobooks
We of the Never-Never
by Jeannie Gunn
About the author
Born in Carlton, Melbourne, on 5 June 1870, Jeannie Gunn trained as a teacher before marrying Aeneas Gunn in 1901. Soon after, she traveled with him to the Elsey cattle station near Mataranka in the Northern Territory, an experience that shaped the writing she would become famous for.
Using the name Mrs Aeneas Gunn, she published The Little Black Princess in 1905 and We of the Never-Never in 1908. The second book became an Australian classic, remembered for its vivid picture of station life in the far north and for the way it introduced many readers to a part of Australia they had never seen.
After her years as an author, she was also known for community work, especially with the Returned and Services League of Australia. Jeannie Gunn died in Melbourne on 9 June 1961, but her books have remained widely read for generations.