Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet has been voted Australia’s favourite book in a nationwide public poll conducted by ABC Radio National over the weekend, according to a report by The Guardian.
Cloudstreet Takes Top Spot
First published in 1991, Tim Winton’s fifth novel and ninth book spans twenty years in postwar Perth. The sprawling Australian family epic follows two working-class households, the Lambs and the Pickles, as they live together in a rambling old house located on Cloudstreet. The award-winning title previously secured the Miles Franklin Literary Award in 1992, became a staple in Australian English literature classrooms, and sold hundreds of thousands of copies domestically.
Furthermore, Winton’s celebrated work has historical precedent in leading reader surveys. It topped an ABC public poll and an Australian Society of Authors survey in 2003, in addition to featuring on a 2019 BBC list of novels that shaped the world.
Podium Finishers and the Top 100 List
Rounding out the podium positions in the recent ABC Radio National poll, Markus Zusak’s 2005 novel The Book Thief secured second place, while Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe took third place in a top tier dominated by male authors.
The comprehensive top 100 selection spanned diverse literary categories, including adult fiction, nonfiction, young adult fiction, children’s picture books, history, and cookbooks. Noteworthy entries included The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book at number 22, Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion at number 56, and Nagi Maehashi’s RecipeTin Eats: Dinner at number 96.
Several prominent authors featured multiple titles in the final ranking, including Helen Garner, Melissa Lucashenko, Geraldine Brooks, Anna Funder, Peter Carey, and Hannah Kent. Notable children’s authors such as Alison Lester, Paul Jennings, Mem Fox, Jeannie Baker, and Ruth Park were also represented.
Historical Range and Literary Commentary
The chronological range of the top 100 entries stretched from Marcus Clarke’s 1874 work For the Term of His Natural Life at number 80 up to recent 2025 releases such as Sally Hepworth’s Mad Mabel and Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore.
Kate Evans, host of ABC Radio National’s literary show The Bookshelf, remarked that the selections encompassed audacious literary fiction, historical accounts of Australia’s past, joyful children’s books, Indigenous stories balancing pain and humour, and numerous family narratives. Evans noted that the diverse compilation defies glib conclusions regarding reading habits.
Source: ‘Many family stories’: Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet takes out ABC radio poll of top 100 Australian books (source-feed timestamp 2026-10-18T07:15:53+00:00). AI-assisted report based on the cited linked article and its RSS feed; details were not independently verified.
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