The Last Frontier: Australia Wide is a large-format photographic portrait of Australia, combining the panoramic landscape photography of Ken Duncan with text and captions by Anna-Maria Dell’Oso.
First published by Weldons in Sydney in 1987, the book presents Australia as a country of striking contrasts — from beaches, country towns and outback settlements to historic sites, working communities and remote landscapes. Duncan’s photography is especially notable for its wide panoramic compositions and strong sense of place, capturing both the scale of the Australian environment and the character of everyday life within it.
 
The accompanying text by Dell’Oso provides context to the locations and scenes, giving the volume a broader pictorial-history and travel-documentary quality rather than functioning solely as a photographic portfolio.
 
The book includes images from across Australia, with subjects ranging from Queensland and New South Wales to Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. The photographs document coastal life, rural towns, historic ruins, transport, shops, buildings and landscapes, creating a visual record of Australia in the late 1980s.
 
Publication details
Title: The Last Frontier: Australia Wide
Photography: Ken Duncan
Text: Anna-Maria Dell’Oso
Publisher: Weldons Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia
First edition, first printing, 1987
Hardcover with dust jacket
189 pages
ISBN 0 947116 41 9
Approx. 31 × 26 × 2 cm
Weight approx. 1.20 kg
 
Condition
Very good vintage condition. The hardcover and contents present well, with the dust jacket showing only light age-related handling and wear. The photographs remain bright and attractive.
A handsome Australian photography book and an appealing addition for collectors interested in Ken Duncan, Australian landscape photography, pictorial history, travel and Australiana.