Women of the Outback

Description

Drought, flood, harrowing isolation and horrific accidents...the Australian outback is no place for a lady. But the women of the Outback are a different breed: tough, resilient and endlessly resourceful. They're both the backbone and the heart of Australia, keeping their farms going, their families together and their communities alive - and often against overwhelming odds. Maree was left with three small daughters when her husband and young son were killed in a light plane crash. Molly lived alone in a 1920s homestead in the middle of the Simpson Desert for twenty years without even a phone. Alice admits she couldn't tell a cow from a bull when she first went to live in the Outback. This book tells the inspiring stories of fourteen remarkable women, from high-achievers to everyday heroes. Their tales are often heart-rending and regularly touched by tragedy, but are always life-affirming. They portray Outback Australian women as they really are - and as we all wish we might be.

Sue Williams was born in Sydney, Australia, and is the author of the best selling picture-books I Went Walking and Let's Go Visiting, illustrated by Julie Vivas. In 1981 she co-founded the children's book company, Omnibus Books, which published some of Australia's quintessential picture books, including One Woolly Wombat, Possum Magic, The Nativity and Wombat Divine. In 1997 she left Omnibus Books to co-found Working Title Press. For the next four years Sue worked on several publications, including the popular Working Title Press Dreaming Narrative series as assistant editor to Christine Nicholls and as co-author (with business partner Jane Covernton) of the Working Title Press picture book Dinnertime under the pseudonym Ann Weld. She retired from the Press in 2001 to pursue an academic career.