Bush Tucker Field Guide
Australian Flora Nature Reference Outdoor & Adventure Survival Bushcraft Wild Food Foraging Travel & Regional Interest
Les Hiddins’ “Bush Tucker Field Guide” is the pocket-sized bible that turned a generation of Australian walkers, campers and 4-WD explorers into confident foragers. First released in 2001 by Explore Australia and still the go-to reference, this 184-page illustrated paperback distils the Army major-turned-bushman’s lifetime of survival know-how into clear, colour photographs and concise ID notes on more than 180 edible plants, nuts, seeds and insects. From the sweet, coconut-flavoured centre of a young pandanus to the tangy native raspberry that will boost vitamin C on a long hike, each entry pinpoints where and when to harvest, how to prepare safely, and what to avoid—critical detail that keeps mis-identification (and stomach trouble) out of your pack list.
What makes this copy especially collectible is its condition and provenance: gift-inscribed on the title page yet otherwise unmarked, with crisp, tightly-bound pages and no dog-eared corners—essentially the field guide equivalent of “near-new” for a title that rarely surfaces in tidy shape. Young adults heading out on Duke of Edinburgh treks, grey-nomad foodies planning a menu of lemon-myrtle damper, or survival instructors updating course kits all prize the same qualities the book delivers—rugged portability, authoritative content and the confidence that every plant inside it has been eaten by Hiddins himself.
Searchers typing “bush tucker book Les Hiddins”, “Australian edible plants guide” or “survival food Australia” land here because this edition is the one that started the modern bush-food boom. With rainforest quandongs, desert bush tomatoes and alpine pepperberries inside, it’s a practical passport to free, nutritious food across every biome—and a nostalgic keepsake for fans of the ABC series “Bush Tucker Man”.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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