The Truth About Lasseter

This book settles the debate about the possible existence of a fabulous gold reef that Harry Lasseter claimed to have found in Central Australia as a young man in 1930.

His claim famously prompted a well-funded expedition to search for it in vain, right at the outset of the Great Depression.

While other writers have previously debunked aspects of Lasseter’s self-proclaimed life story, none have taken the chronological biography approach.

This approach reveals a clear pattern of behaviour that leaves no room for doubt: Lasseter was a compulsive liar prone to delusions, constantly seeking attention and favours from authority figures for his gain.

Far from being the honest working man battling for a ‘square deal’ as he claimed, Lasseter repeatedly exposed himself as a persuasive conman.

His grand ideas were often impractical, unoriginal, or based on empty promises.

While arguments might continue about the motivations of those who promoted his reef story, there is no doubt that the gold reef itself never existed.