Exploring the past, confronting the present, and discovering hope for Australia’s First Peoples

A desert landscape with a flat-topped mountain in the background and sparse vegetation, including small trees and dry grasses, under a partly cloudy sky.

Kurt Mahlburg, Programs Director, Canberra Declaration

Finding Gold is a heartfelt blend of history and personal stories, celebrating Aboriginal resilience and Christian hope. Political solutions have had limited success in Aboriginal communities, but Robyn Murray highlights God’s transformative power through revivals, prayer, mutual respect among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, and trust in God's redemptive plan for our nation. Her most important message: Jesus really is the ultimate answer to healing Australia's spiritual wounds.

A landscape view of a desert area with dry grass, trees, and red rock formations in the background during sunset.

Jennifer Hagger AM, Founder and former Director of Australian House of Prayer for All Nations, and Mission World Aid, Member of The Global Watch Advisory Council representing Oceania.

Finding Gold is a challenging book to read. Robyn takes on the role of truth telling through in-depth research, taking us on a journey through the cultural, economic and political landscape of our First Nation history. She exposes disastrous decisions of past governmental and missionary influence, reveals ancient cultural practices that still have influence, and shines a torch on the trauma of living in remote communities today. Robyn honours all those who work, live and love at the coal face, despite often not seeing the fruit of their labours.
The book is a timely wake up call. To quote the author, only the power of the gospel can bring healing “from the tragedies taking place right now in rural and remote communities.” Finding faith in the furnace is to find the gold needed for the days ahead.

An outdoor scene with a metal cross-shaped sculpture, trees, dried grasses, and rocks, under a clear blue sky.

Christine James, BNSc, Author and Counsellor

Robyn has written an authentic and greatly readable book based on her own lived experiences along with her husband Mark in the deep heart of Australia. She freely acknowledges that she has written a small book in a big story. Her genuine humility and love of the First Nation people speak from every page. She demonstrates God in all His aspects, particularly His faithfulness and grace towards the aboriginal people.

This is not some nice, sanitised read, but an authentic and insightful overview of what is really happening on social and spiritual levels in the Red Centre. It is also kind and respectful, written with an understanding of the many unseen issues, both political and social.

There are stories of faith and stories of despair, stories of God’s amazing provision but also of the broken promises of government bodies. The seam of gold runs throughout this book. God’s great river of His pursuing relentless love continues to run throughout this great land of the Holy Spirit that we love.

A great read!

Sunset sky with orange and pink clouds above silhouetted trees and rooftops.

Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

Much that has been written about Australia’s indigenous population leaves a lot to be desired. Certainly, the interface between these first peoples and Christianity is often omitted or downplayed. In this brief but much-needed corrective - a mixture of personal narrative and well-documented history - we get a fuller and better picture of what has been happening. Robyn Murray rightly reminds us that God is always actively at work, even in the Outback. A helpful and hope-filled work.