Scottish-born Robert Wales sailed into Sydney Harbour during WWII, but in 1953 he was choking in the city, and doctors prescribed fresh country air.

With no experience and only knowledge he'd picked up from a few books, he uproots his family and sets out to establish a sheep farm in the bush. When they arrive on a lonely hill in northern New South Wales, they have no electricity, no running water, no telephone and no choice but to make this their home.

From Angela Wales, eldest of the five kids, comes this extraordinarily vivid and evocative account of the next 10 years as they try to tame 6,000 acres of bush and navigate the challenges of country life.

Filled with drama and hilarity, joy and back-breaking toil, Barefoot in the Bindis portrays a childhood spent in the Outback and is a sensational picture of Australia's past.

Jessica Douglas-Henry

Glas