ISBN: 978-1-921578-49-6

The Scots came up from Newcastle across the Liverpool Plains and onto the high plateau driving great herds of cattle and sheep before them. They were landless men in their own country. The laws of man and nature they ignored. They had been told that the rich grazing pastures of Eastern Australia were theirs for the taking. The indigenous inhabitants were swept aside. The kingdoms they stole were almost as large as Scotland itself. The map of their holdings resembles an old clan map from their homeland. Leslie, Campbell, Forbes, Mackenzie, Macdonald, Deuchar among the old names.

Now 150 years later another Scot has uncovered their tracks from the timber town of Yarraman in the South Burnett to Newcastle on-sea along the New England Highway of Australia.

In his book Drew Grozier documents the words and deeds of publicans and politicians, whores and vagabonds, singers and songwriters, barmaids and bawds; men and women of the road, artists and miners, librarians and writers. He discovers on the road, and in himself, a love of art in the many galleries public and private he stumbles upon in his quest to find the last (or first) pub on the highway. Drew also endeavours to hold together a cherished relationship with his lover who views his travels up and down the highway as proof of his waywardness in life.

A travel memoir of people, places and pubs.

Available from all quality bookstores including Dymocks Australia, Mary Ryans' stores and online at Amazons and BookPal.

The New England Highway of Australia is one of the most famed Highways in the world. The history and lore of the Highway, along with the people and places that find themselves along it is the basis of Scotch on the Bitumen, a new book by author Drew Grozier.

To write Scotch on the Bitumen, Grozier spent six months researching material about the Highway in Queensland’s Main Roads department library and in Scotland for two years for further research on the Scottish pioneers who opened up the tracks that led to the Highway.

Grozier also travelled the Highway extensively, talking to, observing and documenting the words and actions of publicans and politicians, whores and vagabonds, singers and songwriters, barmaids and bawds, men and women of the road, artists and miners, librarians and writers. Somewhere along the way, Grozier not only found out about the Highway, but about himself as well.

“I decided to write this book after the Landlord of the Yarraman Hotel-Motel made the promise of free single malt scotch whisky for as long as I was writing the book, as long as I included a paragraph or two in the book about the pub,” Grozier said. “But, in actuality, my purpose in writing this book was a Road Quest to discover the last (or first) pub on the Highway and to attract tourists and travelers to the unique towns and villages of The New England Highway.”

Source: http://www.getthewordout.com.au/2009082487/news-room/one-more-for-the-road-new-book-details-author-drew-groziers-trek-down-the-new-england-highway-of-australia.htm