As fences go, Australia’s Dingo fence is the longest in the world. The two metre high mesh fence stretches 5 614 km across Australia and has split the continent in two for the past 130 years. Dingoes, Australia’s wild dogs have been a major problem on agricultural land since the beginning of European settlement. Sheep are [...]
The Australian bush has its own unique light; a natural glow that pierces through the Eucalypt branches and radiates across the land. An artist who recognised this beauty, and consciously immersed himself in these images of the outback was Tom Roberts. He was a creative who captured the vast perimeters of rural living and the [...]
The writing process is one that initially comes in fits and starts for me. I’m not a big plotter. I don’t have an A to Z guide and I rarely know what the middle and ending is going to be when I first begin a new novel. This keeps the work fresh and exciting for [...]
The 1950s was a time of cocktails at 5. But far from being limited to more urban areas where devoted apron-housewives of the television variety waited at the door for hubby with a throw-it down martini on a tray, the bush had its own particular favourites. Yes, beer was consumed by the litre however when [...]
Sidney Nolan is one of Australia’s most beloved artists, well known for his depictions of outback Australia and the bush way of life. He captured brief snippets of our country’s history, recollected on canvas in bold and bright colours for all eyes to see. He painted the most intriguing Australian characters, from notorious bushrangers to [...]
Australian rural literature is steeped in tradition. Although historically only a small portion of our population have lived outside the major cities, many of Australia’s most distinctive stories and indeed legends, originate in the outback. Beyond the urban fringe are the characters that populate our vast nation, they include; drovers and squatters, farmers and graziers, [...]
Schooling the bush way. The pushbike, car, motorbike or quadbike ride to the school bus pickup point along a dirt road. Or perhaps a short walk. The car-pooling to a local school. The switching on of the School of the Air or the studying of lessons under the scrutiny of a governess or parent via [...]
Hans Heysen: When we envisage the Australian bush, a vision of the iconic gum tree instantly comes to mind. Throughout history many artists have painted these quintessentially Australian trees, but I don’t believe anyone has mastered it quite as meticulously as Australian landscape artist Hans Heysen. He brought these soaring pillars to life with watercolour [...]
Looking back through the rich history of Australian art, we come to one of our country’s most famous landscape artists, Arthur Streeton. Bringing something a little different to the Australian art scene, he had a brilliant ability to inject light and space into his work, creating paintings that captured the true essence of the Australian [...]
There's always a story behind a story. When I began thinking about my seventh novel, River Run, I sat down with my parents to chat about the 1950s. I wanted to to write about this era as it's such a rich period in Australian history - Communism, the cold war, the aftermath of two world [...]
