One spiral-bound notebook of ca. 380 pp. of manuscript drafts and notes for Palu (1987). Includes notes and tipped-in newspaper cuttings on New Guinea culture, history and costumes. The novel was published by Pan Books in 1987.

Drafts, correspondence, research notes, and photographs for novels, screenplays and a short story written by Trevor Shearston. There are drafts for his radio documentary feature 'The New Guinea letters of John Green', aired in 1984. The screenplay for 'Snowdrop' (later filmed as 'Envy') had various working titles. Sticks that kill was initially preceded by a stage play call "Goaribari". A straight young back had the working titles of "The old magic touch" and the "Walk novel".

Arranged into Series :
Series A: Something in the blood [short story collection] (1979)
Series B: Sticks that kill [novel] (1983)
Series C: White lies [novel] (1986)
Series D: Correspondence with University of Queensland Press
Series E: A straight young back [novel] (2000)
Series F: Drafts for 'Walk novel'and 'The old magic touch' (A straight young back [novel])
Series G: Tinder [novel] (2002)
Series H: Dead birds [novel] (2007)
Series I: Concertinas [novel] (1988)
Series J: Snowdrop [screenplay] - filmed as Envy [motion picture] (1999)
Series K: New Guinea letters of John Green [radio documentary] (1984)
Series L: Short stories and dramatic works, published and unpublished, 1966 to 1995
Series M: Research files on Papua New Guinea
Series N: Game [screenplay]
Series O: Game [novel] (2013)
Series P: Photographs for Game [screenplay]
Series Q: Ben Hall realia

This series contains drafts, notes, newspaper cuttings, and correspondence. While lies by Trevor Shearston was published by University of Queensland Press in 1986. It is set on a remote mission station in Papua New Guinea in the early 1970's and tells the story of the conflict between the powerful and primitive forces of the local Gewa sorcerer and healer, Sebo, and the missionary, Richard Wakely. Initial drafts of the novel were titled 'Black sheep', which Shearston also used to write a screenplay by the same name.

This series contains drafts, notes, photographs and research material. A straight young back is narrated in the first person by David Apps, a cadet government officer who arrives in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea in 1963. Apps works for Hal Franklin, a District Commissioner. As the country moves towards self-government and independence, Apps is slowly corrupted by the power of ruling. Based on true story of the assassination in August 1971 of Jack Emanuel, District Commissioner. Emanuel was murdered deep in the the forest on a Rabaul plantation. The working titles for the novel were 'The old magic touch' and the 'Walk novel'.

This series contains drafts and notes. A straight young back had the working titles 'The old magic touch' and the 'Walk novel'.

This series contains drafts, notes, research material, and correspondence. Dead birds, published by ABC Books in 2007, is set in the early days of exploration around Papua New Guinea. It is based on the 1877 journal of Italian naturalist, collector and explorer Luigi d'Albertis and his crew as they travel by boat up the Fly River in the steam launch 'Neva' collecting birds of paradise, ethnographic artifacts and undiscovered specimens. A New Guinean tribesman is killed by Albertis' crew and his head preserved in a specimen bottle. The story, narrated by the head in a jar, is a story of race relations. Included in this series are notes, research material, and drafts.

This series contains drafts, notes, newspaper cuttings, research material, and correspondence. Concertinas is told from the alternating points of view of the two main characters, Chris Davage and Ian McCall. Both ex-PNG men have fond and lingering memoirs of the excitement of the expatriate experience. The novel examines the relationship between Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. This series contains drafts, notes, research material, and newspaper cuttings.