Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet tops ABC’s favourite books poll

Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet has topped ABC Radio National’s reader-voted Top 100 Australian Books countdown, ahead of Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief and Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe.

Thousands of readers voted in the poll, with the results revealed during a live two-day broadcast spanning literary and popular fiction, memoir, history, children’s books and crime.

Winton’s novel of family, community and belonging topped a list that brought Australian classics together with recent releases.

READ MORE: ABC admits 'bad mistake' on Gaza babies claim, rejects independent regulator

READ MORE: Court stops the ABC publishing an athlete's private text messages

Cloudstreet takes number one

Claire Nichols, host of ABC Radio National’s The Book Show, said the winning title was also her first choice.

“Cloudstreet was my personal number one. It's Tim Winton at his absolute best - lyrical, loving and larrikin in equal measure. I love the blend of Aussie classics and bold new favourites - it says so much about where we come from, who we are today, and who we aspire to be.”

Several authors appeared more than once in the countdown, including Helen Garner, Melissa Lucashenko, Geraldine Brooks, Anna Funder, Peter Carey and Hannah Kent.

The selections spanned more than 150 years. Marcus Clarke’s For the Term of His Natural Life, published in 1874, was the oldest book represented. The newest were Sally Hepworth’s Mad Mabel and Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore, both published in 2025.

A place for fiction, history and birthday cakes

Beyond the leading novels, readers voted for titles across non-fiction, children’s literature and food writing.

Kate Evans, host of ABC Radio National’s The Bookshelf, said the range resisted a single reading of Australian tastes.

“From audacious literary fiction to historical accounts of who we've been and how we might understand all that complicated past, to joyful children's books, Indigenous stories of both pain and humour, and many, many family stories - this list defies any glib conclusions about how we read, and surely that's the point. So much in here to help us build a shared and shifting bookshelf.”

Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu was among the non-fiction selections, while children’s authors Mem Fox and Alison Lester also featured.

Readers also found room for The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book, placing the family kitchen staple alongside some of the country’s best-known literary works.