Ian Burnet is an Australian author who has spent thirty years living, working, and traveling in Indonesia, and his books reflect his fascination with the diverse history of the vast archipelago to the north of Australia. He is the author of seven books related to maritime history, the spice trade, and the Indonesian archipelago, including Spice Islands, East Indies, Archipelago – A Journey Across Indonesia, Where Australia Collides with Asia, The Tasman Map, Joseph Conrad’s Eastern Voyages – Tales of Singapore and an East Borneo River. His new title, Dangerous Passage – A Maritime History of the Torres Strait, offers a fascinating look at the reef-strewn passage between the Australian mainland and Papua New Guinea, which remains the most hazardous of all the major straits in the world. Burnet shares how early navigators such as Torres, Cook, Bligh, Flinders, and King contributed to charting this dangerous passage and sheds light on the evolution of maritime navigation, revealing how this passage was transformed into a crucial shipping corridor.
Ian Burnet adalah seorang penulis asal Australia yang telah menghabiskan tiga puluh tahun tinggal, bekerja, dan berkeliling di Indonesia. Buku-bukunya mencerminkan ketertarikan mendalamnya terhadap sejarah yang beragam dari kepulauan luas di utara Australia ini. Ia adalah penulis tujuh buku yang berkaitan dengan sejarah maritim, perdagangan rempah-rempah, dan kepulauan Indonesia, termasuk Spice Islands, East Indies, Archipelago – A Journey Across Indonesia, Where Australia Collides with Asia, The Tasman Map, serta Joseph Conrad’s Eastern Voyages – Tales of Singapore and an East Borneo River. Judul terbarunya, Dangerous Passage – A Maritime History of the Torres Strait, menawarkan pandangan menarik tentang jalur berkarang yang terletak antara daratan Australia dan Papua Nugini, yang menjadi salah satu selat paling berbahaya di dunia. Burnet membagikan bagaimana para penjelajah awal seperti Torres, Cook, Bligh, Flinders, dan King berkontribusi dalam pemetaan jalur berbahaya ini dan menjelaskan evolusi navigasi maritim, mengungkap bagaimana jalur ini diubah menjadi koridor pengiriman yang penting.
