Many family stories: Winton’s Cloudstreet takes ABC radio poll of 100 Australian books
Cloudstreet takes first place
Cloudstreet, Winton’s fifth novel and ninth book, won the poll run by ABC Radio National. The novel received several awards after publication, including the Miles Franklin in 1992, and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies in Australia.
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak’s 2005 novel, ranked second. Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe took third place, making the top three predominantly male-authored.
A familiar poll favourite
Cloudstreet has topped earlier polls on Australian books. In 2003, the Australian Society of Authors surveyed writers about their favourites, and the ABC held a public poll that year as well. The novel also featured in the BBC’s 2019 list of “100 novels that shaped our world”.
Cookbooks and children’s titles
The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book ranked 22nd. Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion placed 56th, while Nagi Maehashi’s RecipeTin Eats: Dinner came in at 96. The list’s oldest work was Marcus Clarke’s For the Term of His Natural Life, published in 1874 and ranked 80th. Its newest works were Sally Hepworth’s Mad Mabel and Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore, both published in 2025.
Key points
- Cloudstreet was voted Australia’s favourite book in the ABC Radio National poll.
- The Book Thief placed second and Boy Swallows Universe third.
- The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book ranked 22nd.
- The poll’s publication range runs from 1874 to 2025.