Description
There was something interesting around every corner, be it brumbies and wild donkeys disappearing through the bush, or a little waterhole where the snakes and kangaroos came to drink. Toni's childhood isn't like other kids'. She is only five years old when her mum packs a small suitcase and takes the family over 300 kilometres on a scratchy dirt track to live at Killarney, a remote cattle station in the Northern Territory.
Toni grows up among the cattle and horses, with the wild Territory climate and even wilder native animals around her. She has adventures with Old Dora and Daisy, the Aboriginal women who help raise her and her brothers and sisters. They teach her about bush tucker and tell her stories of debil debils.
My Outback Childhood is the story of Toni's unconventional upbringing on Killarney - stalking goannas, helping in the cattle yards, riding horses and sleeping under the stars. Young readers will be captivated by this true story of a childhood filled with Outback adventures. Fascinating for city kids and country children alike, this is a unique story that educates as well as entertains.
Review
This is a fascinating insight into what life is like growing up on a remote cattle station in the Northern Territory.
Toni’s life is very unconventional and is a real eye-opener for readers!
Together with her family and the Aboriginal women and children who all live and work side by side, Toni learns about surviving in the bush, cattle mustering, riding horses and sleeping under the stars.
It is a book about courage, family, perseverance, hardship, friendship and love. Both boys and girls in lower secondary will enjoy this book.
Reviewed by Michelle
