Central Australia has, with reason, been seen as the last frontier of Australia and, politically, the forgotten country. This book distils the conclusions of Emeritus Professor Alan Powell, reached after more than four decades of exploring north Australia and researching the history of white settlement and the culture clash with the original people, through war and peace, in the Northern Territory. Powell cuts through the immense array of Territory yarns and learned tomes that reflect what we know of the Centre and moves straight to the core factors of its history: the visionary explorers, driven telegraph men and miners, the cattlemen and the dreamers who felt the lure and sweep of this stark, beautiful heart of Australia and endured the impact of war, conflict and adaptation in a harsh unforgiving environment.  He raises hard questions on the structure and government of the area and the past, present and future of the mix of its peoples.