Rob Hirst's Life and Songwriting Career Explored in New Book

The late Midnight Oil drummer and songwriter Rob Hirst's nearly 50-year contribution to Australian music will be documented in a new book, World is Almost at Peace, out for release later this month. 

The hardcover collection offers a rare look inside Hirst's nearly five-decade career, bringing together his complete lyric catalogue, handwritten notes, previously unseen photographs, and personal reflections on some of Australia's most recognisable songs.

Best known as the drummer and co-founder of Midnight Oil, Hirst was also a driving force behind the band's songwriting, co-writing classics including "Beds Are Burning", "The Dead Heart", "Forgotten Years", "Best of Both Worlds", "Kosciusko" and "King of the Mountain".

For the first time, World is Almost at Peace explores the creative process behind those songs, with Hirst breaking down his collaborations with bandmates Jim Moginie and Peter Garrett, offering a line-by-line account of how some of Midnight Oil's biggest hits came together.

The book also documents Hirst's work beyond Midnight Oil, featuring lyrics from his various musical projects alongside early notebook drafts, original posters, and memorabilia from the band's formative years.

Contributions from longtime friends and collaborators, including Moginie, Rick Grossman of the Divinyls and Hoodoo Gurus, and Backsliders' Dom Turner, provide further insight into Hirst's life and creative output.

The project took on added significance in the final months of Hirst's life, with his daughter Lex Hirst, who also serves as the book's publisher, revealing that he entrusted his family with completing the collection before his death.

"At the start of 2026, it became clear Dad wasn’t going to live to see the book’s publication, and he started handing over the remaining pieces to my sisters and I as we sat by his bedside... he was thrilled to be able to hand this final work over to his own personal publisher - to know his words would find their way out into the world even after he left it," she wrote in her publisher's note.

The book's release will coincide with a special celebration at Melbourne's Hamer Hall on Tuesday, October 27th, where fans and fellow musicians will gather to honour Hirst's legacy. The event will also mark the public unveiling of Hirst's iconic drum kit, which will go on display as part of the Australian Performing Arts Collection following a fan-led fundraising campaign to preserve the instrument.

Members of Midnight Oil's dedicated fan community, known as the Powderworkers, helped secure the kit for public exhibition, ensuring it remains accessible to future generations. 

A lineup of Hirst's friends and musical collaborators will perform at the celebration, including Moginie, Grossman, Ash Naylor, Jack Howard, Mick Thomas, Brooke Taylor, Sean Sennett, Nik Rieth, Things of Stone and Wood, Hannah Crofts, and Paul Clarke.

Published by Pantera Press and Hardie Grant Books, World is Almost at Peace will be available in hardcover from October 27th. 

From Rolling Stone AU/NZ