We've compiled a collection of books that are perfect for fathers who love a hands-on project, sharing a big family meal, and getting out and about in nature. Read on for our top Father’s Day recommendations for busy souls.

For the dedicated home cook:

The Food Fix by Yumi Stynes & Simon Davis

Since its launch, the 5 Minute Food Fix podcast has consistently been among the most downloaded food podcasts in the country, and has spawned a vast collection of fans who tune in religiously for dinner inspiration. This book pulls together the best hits from the pod and some never-before-seen recipes, all of which have been tested – and re-tested – on the world's most unforgiving critics, and cooked under the most trying circumstances (during life or whatever).

Yumi and Simon aren't here to waste your time, so every recipe has been developed to be quick, fuss-free and most importantly, delicious.

Ramen by Makiko Sano

With slurpable noodles, umami broths and colourful customizable toppings, this unique comfort food can be endlessly adapted according to your individual tastes and creativity. Learn the basics of broths and noodles, plus a range of add-ons to adapt as you like. Take a journey from Japanese street stall favourites and Korean versions with kimchi and spicy gochugaru to home-cooked quick meals and Tiktok-style instant recipes.

Whatever style you prefer – a light shoyu mushroom ramen, a meaty chashu pork ramen or the slow-cooking legendary tonkotsu ramen – here are recipes that make for enjoyable eating all times of the day or night.

The Flavour Thesaurus: More Flavours by Niki Segnit

The hugely anticipated follow-up to Niki Segnit's landmark global bestseller The Flavour Thesaurus.

In More Flavours, Niki Segnit applies her ground-breaking approach to explore 92 mostly plant-based flavours, from Kale to Cashew, Pomegranate to Pistachio. There are over 800 witty and erudite entries combining recipes, tasting notes and stories to bring each ingredient to life. Together with Niki Segnit's first book, The Flavour Thesaurus, this is a modern classic of food writing and as much a bedside read as an indispensable kitchen resource.

For the green thumb:

The Preserving Garden by Jo Turner

The Preserving Garden is a stylishly illustrated guide on how to use garden produce to provide food all year round. Learn how to make a veggie patch or plant fruit trees in any space – including where to begin, when to plant and how to care for your garden. From planting to preserving, each profile is accompanied with easy-to-follow recipes that allow you to make the most of your homegrown produce throughout the year.

Featuring forty-three plant profiles with growing notes for starting or improving your garden, learn how fruit tree maintenance, pollination, crop rotation, composting and soil pH can help create regular and abundant harvests.

The Compost Coach by Kate Flood

The Compost Coach is a colourful, comprehensive and accessible guide to creating the very best compost AKA garden gold. Kate is on a mission to empower readers to understand the small steps they can take every day to look after the environment and live more sustainability.

The book is pitched at the home composter, including people who live in apartments and houses with or without gardens (yes, you can compost without a garden!). Kate helps the reader to rethink their waste management and teaches them how easy it is to divert food scraps and household carbon away from landfill. She unravels the technicalities of soil science, talks through the building blocks of a robust compost system and busts a few myths along the way.

Naturescapes by Phillip Withers & AB Bishop

Landscape design expert Phillip Withers and habitat expert AB Bishop join forces to share their wealth of experiences in how to create stunning Australian gardens that support the local environment.

Naturalistic gardens help plants, creatures and people thrive. This book shows how to take inspiration from your favourite natural areas and create your own outdoor wonderland. The book contains detailed advice on how to approach plant selection, hard landscaping, soil basics and maintenance, purposeful zoning, paths and driveways, edging, habitat for wildlife, and microclimates.

For the day-tripper:

Day Trip Melbourne by Evi O & Andrew Grune

With a trip for every week of the year, Day Trip Melbourne takes you to mountains, waterfalls, swimming holes, beaches, forests, coastlines, snow trails, urban parks, Aboriginal sites, rivers, canyons, cliffs, historic architecture and more. Each adventure includes directions by car or public transport, a map showing walking routes and facilities, and a guide to trip highlights. There are trips for everyone – families, solo adventurers, furry friends – all within 130 kilometres of the city centre.

Whether you're a local or a first-time visitor, Day Trip Melbourne will ignite your nomadic spirit.

Explore Australia 2024

Explore Australia 2024 is the 40th edition of the country's longest-running and most-trusted travel guide.

This ideal guidebook makes planning easy. For each holiday region there's a destination overview, a handy map, summaries of top attractions and information on major towns, festivals and events, and photos showcasing featured places. A huge variety of nature and cultural experiences are covered, from waterfalls and bushwalks to museums and wineries. There's also information on Traditional Owners and many places feature First Nations cultural experiences or describe sacred sites.

The Welcome to Country Handbook by Marcia Langton

The Welcome to Country Handbook by Professor Marcia Langton AO is your accessible introduction to First Nations Peoples, histories and cultures. Drawn from the bestselling Welcome to Country, this guide is essential reading for every Australian.

The chapters cover precolonial and post-colonial history, language, kinship, knowledge, art, performance, storytelling, native title, the Stolen Generations, making a rightful place for First Australians and looking to the future for Indigenous Australia. A new introduction as well as a chapter on racism has been written especially for this handbook, and all information has been checked and updated.

For the maker:

Vintage Knits by National Library of Australia

People of the past knew the magic of a handmade garment – the uniqueness, the custom fit, the time and care taken by the knitter. In today's world of mass-production, we now crave the individuality and satisfaction that comes with creating a piece of clothing for ourselves or a loved one from scratch.

Vintage Knits presents a curated selection of these patterns from Australian publications of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, tested and updated to make them practical for today's knitter. The book features vintage material from the original publications with contemporary full-colour photographs of the garments as they have been recreated today.

Stitch: Sewing Projects for the Modern Maker by Jen Rich

Stitch will offer contemporary designs and creative projects for the modern maker with a discernible eye for aesthetics, with a focus on customisable makes, stunning fabric inspiration, easy-to-follow instructions and beautifully graphic photography.

The book will cover the basic techniques of sewing with all projects achievable either by using a sewing machine or by hand (and a little more time!), and with no overly complicated techniques. Each project will be photographed and some will be accompanied by step-by-step images to help guide you through more intricate instructions