1. Adventure
2. Art techniques
3. Book design
4. Cartography
5. Death
6. Deserts
7. Exploration
8. Goldmining
9. Historical fiction
10. History
11. Myths and legends
12. Narrative techniques
13. Photography
14. Survival

Gold has always fascinated humans, and there are many myths and legends about it. Pots of gold at the ends of rainbows, Rumpelstiltskin who could spin straw into gold, King Midas whose touch turned everything to gold and the endless searches for the El Dorado, a mythical place of immense wealth in the historical New World.
Australia has its own legend regarding an immense reef of gold somewhere in Central Australia named Lasseter’s Reef. In 1897, Harold Lasseter, a young 17-year-old adventurer claimed to have discovered a vast gold-bearing reef in an area southwest of Alice Springs. Lasseter drew a map of the reef’s location but his need for food and water forced him to abandon the reef. His attempt to return to register his claim saw him close to death until rescued by a passing Afghan cameleer who took him to a surveyor’s camp. Here Surveyor Harding revived Lasseter and took a great interest in the rocks Lasseter had, each visibility glinting with gold.
Some three years later, guided by the landmarks Lasseter had recorded, he, accompanied by Harding rediscovered the reef. They took compass bearings of the reef’s exact location but their equipment was faulty completely distorting the reef’s location by hundreds of miles. Mapping and access in this remote area was so difficult that it was over thirty years before an adequately equipped and backed expedition could be organised. Unfortunately, the expedition was plagued with difficulties and accidents and was abandoned by all except Lasseter who vowed to keep searching until he found the gold.

Lasseter tragically died in the desert. He did leave rough maps and messages buried in a cave along with his diary which were discovered by the tracker hired to locate Lasseter. Despite the continued fascination with finding the legendary reef, to this day no one has managed to locate it.

Author Mark Greenwood used a mixture of historical facts, diary extracts, photographs and maps skilfully woven together to tell Lasseter’s story in both words and images. The endpapers offer a detailed hand-lettered map of Lasseter Country. The possible existence of a golden bounty even in the harshest of places has not dulled the mystery and people still search for the legendary Lasseter’s reef.

2003 Winner Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards – Premier’s Prize for Writing for Children

1. Mark Greenwood website ‘The Legend of Lasseter’s Reef’ includes a link to Teacher’s Notes. https://markgreenwood.com.au/book/the-legend-of-lasseters-reef/
2. Aussie Reviews 20 January 2004. Sally Murphy reviews ‘The Legend of Lasseter’s Reef’ http://aussiereviews.com/2004/01/the-legend-of-lasseters-reef-by-mark-greenwood/
3. Writing WA Spotlight on our Writers and Illustrators – ‘Mark Greenwood’ https://www.writingwa.org/literati-directory/mark-greenwood/
4. Bush Tucker man ‘Lasseter’s Reef’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMmK6J9MA8M
5. Australian Geographic 4 July 2019. ‘Lasseter’s Reef: will it ever be found?’ https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2019/07/lasseters-reef-will-it-ever-be-found/
6. KIddle. Lasseter’s Reef facts for kids https://kids.kiddle.co/Lasseter%27s_Reef
7. Money Museum Carol Schwyzer ‘Gold in Myths, Fairy Tales, Art and Films’ https://www.moneymuseum.com/pdf/today/03_Exhibition_Gold/04%20Gold%20in%20Myths,%20Fairy%20Tales,%20Art%20and%20Films.pdf