RANKIN PUBLISHERS   Robert Rankin's Home Page     Email  info@rankin.com.au    Ph.  (07) 3376 9115
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ABOUT RANKIN PUBLISHERS

RANKIN PUBLISHERS began in the early 1970s when Robert Rankin produced several small bushwalking and rockclimbing guides. By the mid-1970s he was into documentary film production with the release of Climb to the Clouds (filmed on Hinchinbrook Island) and To Walk the Vertical (depicting a rockclimb on Crookneck, one of the Glasshouse Mountains). The publishing of high quality colour printed products began in 1980 with the release of his first wilderness calendar, the Scenic Rim Wilderness Calendar 1981.

The emphasis in publishing was to be on high quality photographic content of Australia's wilderness regions and so the initial publications consisted of calendars, diaries and cards where the pictures could be displayed to good effect. Robert Rankin published Australia's first wilderness calendar in 1982. Books and large prints quickly followed and today Rankin Publishers also publish software, DVDs and music relating to Australia's pristine wilderness areas. Our software version of the book, Classic Wild Walks of Australia, first appeared in early 1996, and today, the fifth edition (now titled Classic Wild Places of Australia) represents the standard by which all similar CD-ROM products are judged. Just ask the users and the reviewers!

Robert Rankin founded the company and it is his photography which is displayed in all the products. Prior to establishing the firm, he studied physics at the University of Queensland and science communication at Griffith University obtaining a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in these fields respectively. Some say he dabbled in academia while studying bushwalking! For several years he produced science education documentaries for the ABC.

Rankin Publishers is a small firm employing only a few staff. As such, it is able to maintain a highly specific and specialized range of products without feeling the need to diversify in order to maintain our market position. Our products will be of interest to anyone who wishes to explore the wildest areas of Australia on foot. Four-wheel driving for its own sake is not encouraged and in fact the wildest areas of Australia are only accessible on foot. So leave the machinery at home! The wildest areas (for example South West Tasmania, Hinchinbrook Island, the Australian Alps and Mount Barney) are all accessible by normal vehicle to the roadhead and, from there, by a strong pair of shoes. Many awe-inspiring sights can be seen from the window of your car but the best can only be seen by walking for many days into the heart of Australia's wilderness areas.

Shirley Peadon runs the office and warehouse at Rankin Publishers. She tolerates no nonsense! So, you can be assured your order is handled with the utmost care, accuracy and efficiency. Likewise the packers are thoroughly dedicated to getting your order to you quickly and in pristine condition.