Backyard
by Lesley Head and Pat Muir

This book is the outcome of a comprehensive study funded by the Australian Research Council, following a pilot study by the University of Wollongong. It is a fascinating exploration of the relationship between the cultural landscape of middle Australia and the environment. The writers "use suburban backyards and gardens as a lens through which to take a fresh look at the ways Australians interact with the environment". The interaction is very diverse. As the writers go on to say, "According to how we think of nature, we might want to put a fence around it, create a bureaucracy to look after it, kill it, eat it, plant it or remove it." People’s backgrounds and experiences have a strong influence on how they perceive their environment.

The writers explore the diversity and complexity of attitudes through the voices of "middle" Australians. In their own words they express their attitudes, passions, fears and thoughts about their backyards. It makes for fascinating reading. Older readers will identify with the descriptions of women’s washing day labours in the time before the advent of washing machines and mains water and younger ones will hopefully count their blessings. Migrants and their offspring will also recognise the experiences recounted by many of the interviewees. Many people will see themselves in the tussle between wanting to do the "right thing" environmentally and facing work, family and time pressures and the desire for the "perfect" garden as represented in magazines and on television programs. One thing is quite clear, there are many different views on the nature of backyards and very many issues that are potential areas of conflict.

You may want to understand your neighbours and your society a little better, or you may just enjoy a peek over the fence into an extraordinary number of interesting and diverse backyards. Either way this book will change the way you think about our relationship with the world around us.

Backyard by Lesley Head and Pat Muir is published by University of Wollongong Press. The RRP is $69.95.