We do not have grand old castles in Australian history, absolutely not possible with only two hundred years of settlement behind us; but we do have some grand old homesteads.  A period drama set in Australian would naturally include a historical home.

The famous Jooloonga homestead in my series of Outback dramas had significant bearing in the third novel, The Tan People - a journey into truth. The inspiration for the historical home was Jimbour House on the Darling Downs, built around 1874 from cedar obtained from the Bunya Mountains,stone from the local quarry and other timbers from the area. I had a photograph of this Queensland Mansion and made the necessary enquiries for permission to use it on my cover. I did eventually receive permission, but not in time for the cover, which was a shame.   The homestead in question achieved fame when it was used as a major location in the successful TV mini-series ‘Return to Eden’.

I thought I would do things a little differently with the third novel  and introduced each chapter in TheTan People with a 5 line stanza. To give an example:

Chapter 2  

The grandest homestead in the Land 

Stone pillars, balconies built to plan

Beautiful children a wife to behold

The family secrets destined to unfold

Can happiness shine - within a shrine?

     The poems are invitations, requesting the reader’s pleasure to stepinto the next chapter of The Tan People as they take their journey into the land of truth. They travel to the great Jooloonga Station and into the lives of two prominent families where wisdom and culture, discoveries and revelations blaze a quicksilver trail through all their lives. A story of amazing love and tormented souls, spanning two continents, travelling to England and back, set on a stunning canvas in central Queensland, where the magic of the Dreaming controls the heartbeat of an Ancient Land. 

The Tan People - a journey into truth

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