Book
Sprigg, G., Maclean, R., & Smith, D. (2001). Dune is a four-letter word. Wakefield Press.
Description
Dune is a Four-letter Word tells the story of Griselda and Reg Sprigg’s pioneering desert adventures – not only in the Simpson Desert but all over the vast Australian outback. Griselda’s story is also the story of Arkaroola Sanctuary, how she, with her husband, Reg, turned a drought-stricken sheep station into the magnificent flora and fauna reserve and tourist mecca it is today. ( Wakefield Press | Dune is a four-letter word)
Parts, chapters and sections
Foreword by Dick Smith ix
Editor’s Note xii
Prologue, Mercy Flight p. 13
Chapter 1 Ancient History p. 17
Chapter 2 Bound for South Australia p. 25
Chapter 3 Radium Hill p. 31
Chapter 4 Finders Keepers p. 41
Chapter 5 The Great Australian Dream p. 48
Chapter 6 Camp Followers p. 53
Chapter 7 The Talcum Touch p. 59
Chapter 8 Come Fly with Me p. 71
Chapter 9 Raring to Go p. 78
Chapter 10 Into the Simpson p. 86
Chapter 11 Eastward Ho! p. 96
Chapter 12 Desert Rendezvous p. 109
Chapter 13 Bound for Birdsville 120
Chapter 14 The Desert Crossed p. 135
Chapter 15 Southbound in Strife and Sickness p. 143
Chapter 16 And Back Again p. 147
Chapter 17 Deserts, Deserts Everywhere p. 160
Chapter 18 Akurra p. 177
Chapter 19 Crossing the Tanami p. 188
Chapter 20 The Christmas Present p. 205
Chapter 21 Praying for Rain p. 215
Chapter 22 Regeneration p. 220
Chapter 23 Keeping the Faith p. 226
Epilogue A Fine Farewell p. 239
Afterword Women of the Outback p. 248
Postscript p. 254
About the Author
Griselda was born on December 12th 1921 in Paisley, Scotland. She was second daughter of dentist Robert Findlay Paterson. Perhaps she was destined to travel, as the area where she was born is now part of Glasgow Airport. Griselda attended Glasgow High School for Girls ( “not a brilliant career”), following in the wake of her more academically inclined older sister. Click here for the full biography: (Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary | Griselda Sprigg)
About the author’s biographer
The late Rod Maclean was an author, journalist and television reporter. Rod wrote the Aussie novel Eric and Ian Get a Life and a biography of Griselda Sprigg, an outback pioneer, Dune Is a Four-letter Word. He recorded the last year of his life in the memoir Wallaby. (Wakefield Press | Dune is a four-letter word)
Where to find
The South Australian public library network holds multiple copies. Although not within Alexandrina libraries, it is available as an inter-library loan: See Source at Libraries SA.
Where to buy
Value(s) is available through the publishing house, local bookstores, and online resellers.
Additional information
Doug Sprigg Interview Arkaroola
References
- The White Ox Overland 2023, Doug Sprigg Interview Arkaroola, viewed on 12 March, 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbShhzpP6L4. This 30 minute video provides complementary information to Griselda’s book.
- WorldCat 2026, Dune is a four-letter word, viewed on 12 March, 2026, https://search.worldcat.org/title/50285501. This WorldCat search yields the print book reference for Dune is a four-letter word by Griselda Sprigg