The trucker's job - so vital to our nation's everyday life - makes for a diverse treasure trove of stories. This first-ever collection of stories about Aussie truckers captures the humour, tragedy and fascinating history of their world, proving once again that truth is often stranger, funnier and more inspiring than fiction. The unlikely yarns and tales, collected by Jim Haynes, quickly transport the reader into the intriguing but often hard and lonely world of the long-distance truck driver. There are stories of endurance while crossing the Nullarbor in the early 1950s, of rescuing mates stranded in the desert and dumping wheat in protest at Parliament House, of repossessing vehicles in suburban Adelaide, and of men imprisoned during the long political battle to make the roads of Australia free to carry freight. Steeped in larrikinism, these are salt-of-the-earth Aussie voices from the most genuine characters to ever spin a yarn. Whether you're interested in one of the most significant social revolutions to have shaped our nation, or in these never-say-die modern pioneers who astound with their resourcefulness, or whether you're just after a laugh and a bloody good story, this book is for you. The Best Australian Yarns and Other True Stories is a substantial and definitive work collected from memory, mates, word of mouth and decades of researching popular Aussie culture and history. This collection includes tall stories from the bush, railway yarns, stories from the world of show business, Aboriginal legends, digger yarns from both world wars, ghost stories, monsters, bunyips, yowies and many things you never knew about our amazing history as well as the characters who made it ? and whose fascinating lives and achievements created the Aussie spirit that we all love. While the stories range from poignant to hilarious many simply describe unusual coincidences and strange occurrences with a refreshing understatement that vividly evokes a vanishing Australia where looking for a good laugh was a key component of a cheekier national character.