Author Description

Pioneer settlers of wilderness areas generally have a common goal - to find and claim their own piece of paradise. Tom Rourke was no different in this regard. In 1827 his paradise was on a secluded waterway only thirty miles from the growing port of Sydney Town in the British penal colony of New South Wales. The pristine bushland on which his one hundred acres had been allotted had been protected from the land-hungry eyes of the colonists by the inaccessible terrain which surrounded it. Tom had many plans of how he would turn his land into his own paradise. But one man's paradise can be another's hell. The local natives, assigned convicts and Mother Nature didn't always comply with Tom's plans. Our plans for life's journey are seldom without compromise. Tom finds that some of his plans are not achievable. He needs to accept deviations. Deviations on his road to paradise. **** Set in the period 1827 to 1841, the story follows the triumphs and tragedies of one of Australia's pioneering families as they pursue their dreams in a secluded corner of the British penal colony in New South Wales. The story is a fiction account which should appeal to the reader who enjoys a family saga of action, adventure and a hint of romance. However, many of the incidents portrayed are based on actual events that occurred during those times.