'Many family stories': Tim Winton's Cloudstreet takes out ABC radio poll of top 100 Australian books
News Source
β’Sun, 18 Oct 2026 07:15:53 GMT
π° What Happened
Tim Winton's novel Cloudstreet has been voted Australia's favourite book in a poll run by ABC Radio National. The broadcaster shared the top 100 list over the weekend. Markus Zusak's The Book Thief came second and Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe came third.
Cloudstreet was first published in 1991. It follows two working-class families, the Lambs and the Pickles, who share an old house in Perth after the war. It won the Miles Franklin award in 1992 and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
π The Backstory
The list covers adult fiction, non-fiction, young adult books, picture books, history and cookbooks. The oldest title is For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus Clarke, from 1874. The newest came out in 2025. The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book made number 22.
Cloudstreet has topped other polls, including one by the Australian Society of Authors in 2003. Host Kate Evans said the list mixes bold fiction, history, children's books and Indigenous stories, and defies simple conclusions about how we read.
π― Why It Matters
Polls like this show which stories Australians pass on to their kids. They also show that local books can still find a big audience.
Tim Winton's novel Cloudstreet has been voted Australia's favourite book in a poll run by ABC Radio National. The broadcaster shared the top 100 list over the weekend. Markus Zusak's The Book Thief came second and Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe came third.
Cloudstreet was first published in 1991. It follows two working-class families, the Lambs and the Pickles, who share an old house in Perth after the war. It won the Miles Franklin award in 1992 and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
The list covers adult fiction, non-fiction, young adult books, picture books, history and cookbooks. The oldest title is For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus Clarke, from 1874. The newest came out in 2025. The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book made number 22.
Cloudstreet has topped other polls, including one by the Australian Society of Authors in 2003. Host Kate Evans said the list mixes bold fiction, history, children's books and Indigenous stories, and defies simple conclusions about how we read.
Polls like this show which stories Australians pass on to their kids. They also show that local books can still find a big audience.