Fact or myth? Harold Bell Lasseter and his claim of finding a vast gold-bearing reef in Central Australia has continually been surrounded in mystery. Yet his ill-fated death in the Australian outback, where the land is unforgiving to the careless and the foolhardy, is relatively undisputed. Despite Lasseter taking secrets to a lonely desert grave in 1931, the story of the elusive gold reef has become a holy grail for explorers from near and far. One such explorer is Vietnam veteran Bill Decarli, who has spent the best part of forty years unravelling one of Australia’s greatest mysteries. On his maiden voyage to the outback in 1991, instead of heading towards Western Australia like other diehard explorers, Bill reversed his map and headed east towards Queensland. It was there that he struck upon the infamous gold reef, one that Lasseter had never laid eyes on, yet some how had been made aware of its existence. Based on significant new insights, and with a further nine trips to the reef, the key to putting all the pieces together, for Bill, was a man who barely left any trace of his own existence — until now. A story of adventurous hearts, honesty and resolve, in this new twist, Bill unearths how Lasseter’s claim was another man’s story, the exact location of the reef and how the reef stands to have a bright future.

This engaging, accessible and atmospheric book tells a children's version of the famous legend of Harold Lasseter who found a fabulous reef of gold in the desert. He almost died on the return trek with his gold samples, and was rescued and nursed back to health by an Afghan cameleer and a surveyor. Years later, Lasseter returned to the interior with companions, confident he would be able to locate the site of his original find. But the expedition proved a disaster, and after weeks of searching the men lost confidence in their leader and abandoned him. Lasseter continued on with a team of camels, and he finally found the reef, and pegged it. But his camels escaped leaving him to struggle on alone. Despite the help of a family of desert nomads, he never made it back to civilization, leaving behind only a handful of clues that have tantalized treasure hunters ever since.

Is there a field of gold lying in the Australian outback, where nuggets are ‘as thick as plums in a pudding’? When Harold Bell Lasseter disappeared it could have been the end of a mystery that began the day he staggered out of the desert at the turn of the 20th century, almost dead, his pockets bulging with gold, claiming to have found a 15 kilometre gold reef. It was mystery that deepened when he and a surveyor returned to the isolated and mysterious Petermann Ranges where the reef was supposed to be located - and couldn’t find it. It became legendary when the largest inland expedition since Burke and Wills was launched and, from the start, like Burke and Wills, was doomed because the partners only had one thing in common: greed. In LASSETER’S GOLD, Warren Brown vividly recreates the drama of the search - the characters, the fights, the soaring temperatures, the impossible terrain, the plane crash, the pistol-carrying dingo-skinner who appeared out of nowhere. He also asks just who was this man Lasseter? A one-time sailor, a bigamist, a man who claimed John Bradfield stole his plans for a single span bridge to cross Sydney Harbour – was he also a very, very good liar? The entries in Lasseter’s diaries suggest he did find the gold, but that by then it was too late. The expedition had finished, he was alone and what he needed was food. Or did he? Was the body they found even his? What did happen to his vast, lost treasure? Did it ever exist? Does it still exist? LASSETER’S GOLD is the gripping story of an outback legend, a myth and, perhaps, a field of gold - there for the taking?

(from The Spectator, May 1936) In his introduction to Lasseter's Last Ride (Cape, 7s. 6d.) Field-Marshal Sir William Birdwood writes : "The annals of Central Australian exploration are tragic and heroic, but it is long indeed since I read a more moving story of endurance and heroism in the face of terrific odds than the epic which Mr. Ion Idriess has woven out of the last few months of the life of L. H. B. Lasseter." The reader will agree with this, and wonder why he has not heard of Mr. Idriess before. He is well known in Australia, but this is his first book to be published in England. It will not be his last, if the present one meets with the success it deserves. Having himself been a prospector, the story he has constructed out of the fragments of documentary evidence - a few reports, the barely legible diary and letters found buried near Lasseter's last camps - is probably very close to what actually happened. Harry Lasseter had once discovered a rich gold reef in unexplored west Central Australia. Owing to a faulty watch, the bearings he took were useless. An expedition was fitted out to locate it. From the first, misfortune dogged the steps of the party. Food ran short and they returned to the base-camp - all except Lasseter, who went on alone. When his two camels bolted he was left waterless in the desert. Blinded by sand and tortured by dysentry, he found the reef, but died shortly afterwards, deserted by a tribe of aborigines with whom he had tried to make friends. Mr. Idriess tells this story in a simple, virile style which is, in its intense economy, comparable to Hemingway at his best.

Account of author's exploits as a member of H.Lasseter's gold prospecting expedition 1930-31; limited reference to Aranda, Luritja, Eumos and Wongapitcha (Pitjantjatjara) people in text and photograph captions; racial attitudes.

This illustrated book tells a children's version of the famous legend Harold Lasseter who found a fabulous reef of gold in the desert. Years later Lasseter returned with six companions but could not find the site again and despite help from nomads he never made it home again.

Written specifically for legal practitioners and students, this book examines the concerns, laws and regulations involved in Electronic Commerce. In just a few years, commerce via the World Wide Web and other online platforms has boomed, and a new field of legal theory and practice has emerged. Legislation has been enacted to keep pace with commercial realities, cyber-criminals and unforeseen social consequences, but the ever-evolving nature of new technologies has challenged the capacity of the courts to respond effectively. This book addresses the legal issues relating to the introduction and adoption of various forms of electronic commerce. From intellectual property, to issues of security and privacy, Alan Davidson looks at the practical changes for lawyers and commercial parties whilst providing a rationale for the underlying legal theory.

A marine archaeologist and a salvager join forces to search for a legendary treasure in this novel that takes readers to the depths of the Caribbean and the heights of passion and suspense—from #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. Tate Beaumont has a passion for treasure-hunting. Over the years, she and her father have uncovered many fabulous riches, but one treasure has always eluded them: Angelique’s Curse—a jeweled amulet heavy with history, dark with legend, and tainted with blood. In order to find this precious artifact, the Beaumonts reluctantly form a partnership with salvagers Buck and Matthew Lassiter. As the Beaumonts and Lassiters pool their resources to locate Angelique’s Curse, the Caribbean waters darken with shadowy deceptions and hidden threats. Their partnership is placed in jeopardy when Matthew refuses to share information—including the truth behind his father’s mysterious death. For now, Tate and Matthew continue their uneasy alliance—until danger and desire begin to rise to the surface…