ARIA Hall of Famer Russell Morris has made a sequel.

Van Diemen’s Land follows Sharkmouth which became Morris’ first Top 10 album – 46 years after his first release.

“Americans have a proud tradition of folk songs passing their history down through the generations,” Morris says, “and while there are some amazing songwriters celebrating modern Australia, I wanted to create something that connected people today with the characters that shaped them.”

Morris spent more than a year researching the stories on Van Diemen’s Land, telling tales of the Birdsville Track, Breaker Morant, the Eureka Stockade, the 1894 shearers’ strike and World War II.

“To me, these albums are about looking back at the characters that deserve to be remembered,” Morris explains. “It’s about leaving a legacy that in 50 years time, someone can put these records on and learn something about the spirit of our great country, in the same way we do when we read The Man From Snowy River.”

Van Diemen’s Land features an array of special guests, including Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst on drums, The Living End’s Scott Owen on double bass, Rick Springfield on slide guitar, Joe Camilleri on saxophone, Ross Hannaford and Phil Manning on guitar, and Vika and Linda Bull on backing vocals.