The Gulf Country written by Richard J. Martin was published in association with Burke Shire Council, and tells the definitive history of the region since the first white settlement in 1865 and the story of resilient people who make their home in Australia's far north.

It touches on the stories of a 150 years of exploration and colonisation, the growth of cattle and mining industries and the impact of Christian missionaries and Indigenous activism through to the present day.

Author Richard J. Martin, is a senior lecturer in the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland and has been researching the history of the remote Gulf Country of Northern Australia for a decade, including he research of people on native title claims and cultural heritage matters.

"I started by doing work with indigenous people and their connections to the land, their history and lives and I then became interested in how the broader history of the Gulf came about," Mr Martin said.

"After doing of years work there, people in Burketown asked if I would be interested in writing a book of how Burketown came to be today; and also all the places around Burketown, like Lawn Hill and Riversleigh."

Mr Martin said The Gulf Country was primarily written for the local community of Burketown.

"This book was created to tell their stories as well as other interested people who may be traveling through the Gulf region who want to know the history," he said

"Burketown was a very dynamic place, that I guess is a bit hard to imagine when you see it as the end of the road."

The book was published by Allen & Unwin and will be distributed in the Burketown Tourist Information Centre and book stores across North West Queensland.

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