Martin Thomas is a unique voice among the history writers of Australia. A Professor of History at ANU and an award-winning researcher, essayist, oral historian, and filmmaker, his work is driven by a deep interest in the meaning of landscapes, the legacies of colonisation, and the drama of cross-cultural encounter.

He directed and co-produced a documentary film Etched in Bone. His book The Many Worlds of R. H. Mathews won the National Biography Award.