'2 Worlds, 1 Life' clarifies one small part of Australian history in relation to Leichhardt’s failed trip to the Swan River WA. After leaving Mt Abundance west of the present-day Roma Qld in 1848, Classen became the sole survivor living in Outback Australia.

Ian Pike

​

'2 Worlds, 1 Life' is different from anything that I suspect any readers will ever read; this is because I have been on an exploring journey with my father that has taken us to 1,000’s of kilometres of the Australian Outback.

  We have walked along creek beds looking at soil types, the land structures, the different soil compositions that produce a variety of different plants and provide shelter to an incredible list of native animals, insects and birds.

  We have been fortunate to visit sites that are nothing short of awe-inspiring; breathtaking places that send chills down your spine.

  We have been able to find pearl buttons after shaking the sands away through screens in the most remote and desolate locations.

  We have found rainforest plants that have evolved over generations to enable successful genealogy and reproduction in the harshest of climates.

  We have been tracking the stories of explorers following significant research and dialoguing already published accounts to bring together a somewhat detailed observation that is based on fact.

  The reason why we have been so engrossed in this quest is that we have common interests and I feel truly fortunate to have spent such a lot of my spare time with my father while doing so.

  The journey is only partially complete; however, this book perhaps provides a perspective that if it had not been written in the context that it has, would be viewed significantly differently. This is because the human perspective on the existence of life is much different today than what it was 150 years ago.

  This book has been written in an authentic 1800’s style narrative which is not the easiest form of storytelling but is essential because it has an authentic vocabulary that would most likely be expected for such a book had it have been recorded during the era of German explorers Adolph Classen and Dr. Leichhardt.

​Geoff Pike  

​