Author(s): Rosamund Burton

Australian

"Interweaving history and travel, this entertaining story traces one woman’s journey tracing the 3200 km Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin. Constructed between 1870 and 1872, the line transformed Adelaide into Australia’s communication hub, connecting the continent with the rest of the world and heralding the dawn of instant communication. Struggling with a lack of experience and fitness, Rosamund Burton and her friend cycle the first 800 km from Adelaide through the Flinders Ranges to the deserted outback town of Farina, battling piercing winds and pelting rain, visiting sites and chatting with locals as they go. The author moves across the continent, storytelling, sharing its sometimes brutal history and listening to those who have lived in this harsh but beautiful country. This quest for connection with the land and an understanding of its people, is also an exploration of what it means for the author, being Irish born, to belong in Australia."