Only a stone's throw from central Sydney, the northern arm of Port Jackson, otherwise known as Middle Harbour, has a mystique all of its own.

Unlike most Australian city environs, Middle Harbour was almost entirely neglected during the first two centuries of European settlement in Sydney. As such, it still has regions of virtually untouched bushland, and a surprising history to match.

Times & Tides: a Middle Harbour Memoir by acclaimed historian Gavin Souter is an exploration of this unique – and precious – part of Australia.

In prose that is lucid and informed, Souter trawls back and forth in time to create an evocative multi-layered narrative encompassing Aboriginal life, European arrival, modern suburbs and the natural history of bays, creeks and the bush.

Fascinating and insightful, Times & Tides: a Middle Harbour Memoir is also a very personal account by someone who has lived within sight of Middle Harbour for almost fifty years.

First published in 2004, and rereleased now for the first time digitally, Times & Tides won the North Shore Historical Society's Isabella Brierley Prize.