Over the weekend I was honoured to present the inaugural Colleen McCullough Writer’s Residency. The award formed a part of the Historical Novel Society of Australasia conference which was held at the University of Western Sydney, Parramatta. The residency is named for Ms McCullough - who died in 2015. Her most well-known novel, The Thorn [...]
Founded by the Spaniards in 1528 and marked by centuries of geographical isolation, San Cristobal de las Casas is a beautiful town of sleepy colonial grandeur in Southern Mexico. It is such an extraordinary mix of people and customs. Free open-air concerts are held in the palace square and the local indigenous peoples travel from [...]
Mexico Mexico’s arid north adjoins the US border. A 3,140 km line that has come to symbolize a complex and unstable relationship, one that has fixated attention on a country known as much for its drugs, beaches and safety concerns, as its extraordinary archaeological sites. This might be a place of tequila and sombreros, Spanish [...]
It's been a busy few months with the release of my eighth novel, An Uncommon Woman. A tour of the western Downs region of Queensland was a great week allowing me to see more of our wonderful countryside, catch up with relatives - there are a lot of Alexander's over the border from NSW, and [...]
It's hard to do justice to the beautiful Barossa Valley. One of the world's greatest wine regions, it is known for its food and wine and stunning scenery. It was raining most of today, but the glorious sight of low clouds misting verdant rolling hills in a series of foamy tendrils was mesmerising. Okay, I [...]
I have always been a huge festive season person, long, hot days, plenty of good cheer (the food and wine kind) and time with family and friends. We're used to big christmases in the bush and with the temperature gauge usually soaring, on-farm jobs are scheduled for mornings so the Christmas week can be enjoyed. This year it [...]
From the cane fields of the Burdekin Shire to the vibrant, historical town of Charters Towers. The last leg of my North QLD visit has been entertaining, fun and hugely interesting. At Ayr I was treated to a close-up of a cane field burning courtesy of John Scott of the Burdekin Library and the delightful [...]
It's lucky I'm use to driving. With 2.5 weeks of touring already behind me, 3600 kms (give or take a few ks) takes in a whole lot of country. From the vast open spaces of western QLD to the south of the state through to NSW and the waterways of the beautiful midnorth coast, I [...]
Nearly everywhere I travelled last week stories of the recent floods of 2011 and 2012 still abound. From Miles and Charleville to St George and Goondiwindi, everyone has a story, rising water, stranded livestock and pets, water sucking up living room walls, infrastructure and erosion and the greasy, smelly silt left behind in the waters wake. Today [...]
The Absolution Creek tour kicks off next monday 3rd September in QLD. This year I'll be covering a lot of the state just over the border from me and I'm looking forward to visiting some new places. I'll also be travelling through NSW and Victoria, with South Australia deferred to next year when I have a [...]
