Richard Graves

The Ten Bush Craft Books by Richard Graves are considered classic texts, unfortunately they have been out of print for many years. They are still available in pdf format.


Richard Graves led an adventurous life. Born in Ireland in 1889 he latter moved to Australia where he died in 1971. During World War II he was commander of the Australian Jungle Survival and Rescue Detachment. The unit was credited with successfully rescuing over 300 soldiers After the war he ran a bushcraft school for over twenty years.

Not so primitive

Here's a great site to explore for a wide range of bushcraft skills. The Wildwood Survival site offers very detailed instructions and practical advice on traditional and primitive survival skills. When I say primitive I am referring to flint knapping etc. Although I should point out that primitive is a deceptive term and perhaps inappropriate for discussing technology from humanities distant past.

Flint knapping is an exceptionally difficult task particularly if you are trying to replicate the tools utilised over the last 50 thousand years. I majored in Archaeology at university and devoted many hours to replicating indigenous stone tools. End result a huge appreciation for the knowledge and skills of our ancestors. At it's zenith some stone axes required over 100 individual strikes on the blank to create the final product. The practitioner had an in-depth knowledge of the characteristics of the raw material, flint, obsidian etc, and artisan skill in executing complicated designs.

Enjoy!

A-Z of Bushcraft

One of my aims with this site is to share the great resources that are available to bushcraft enthusiasts. One of the best that I have encountered is the A-Z of bushcraft and Survival site. Here you will find an array of amusing videos on essential bushcraft skills by presenter Andrew Price. The production is excellent and I look forward to further initiatives from Andrew and his crew. As a sampler I have embedded the fire making lesson. Enjoy!