One of the most conveniently forgotten chapters in Australian history is interrogated and mapped out this week on Betoota Talks. Nobody wants to imagine that our sunburnt larrikin nation was built off the back of slaves... But a lot of it was. It's not a culture war, it's a historical fact. 

This week's guest, historian Ryan Butta, has compiled all of the old slave trade routes, ships, ports and beneficiaries in a fascinating and deeply disturbing new book - titled 'Blackbirding' - which is the term used for the kidnapping of Pacific Islanders who were then sold as slaves on the Australian mainland.  In fact, Townsville is named after Robert Towns - a very wealthy blackbirder from Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.