My first novel A Greater World is set in the beautiful Blue Mountains of Australia. As it’s only about 70 miles from Sydney you can visit on a day trip. On my first visit to Australia in 1995 I stayed at the beautiful Lilianfels Hotel close to The Three Sisters and explored the nearby town of Katoomba.

When I came to write A Greater World, more than ten years later, I decided to set it somewhere like Katoomba, as I’d been captivated by its frontier town atmosphere and the stunning beauty of the gorge. I relied on my memories and my pre-digital photo album. 

In 2006/7 I worked in Australia for six months, so I drew on my time living there for the Sydney part of the book. My main male character Michael Winterbourne visits the wool brokerage in Pyrmont towards the end of the book – I actually lived in an apartment in that building – the Goldsborough Mort – a rather ugly red brick pile. (But I had a great view over Darling Harbour)

Michael walked between the men in the crowded building, exchanging the odd g’day with other graziers, then decided to call it a day and head for the nearest bar and a welcome cold beer. He left the big, red-brick, wool brokerage and walked along the side of Darling Harbour.

After a quick beer in the Pyrmont Bridge Hotel, he was about to return to his lodgings, nearby. Instead, he stepped onto the bridge and walked across into the city. The late afternoon sun was strong but there was a gentle breeze over the harbour. He put his hands in his pockets as he walked and felt the outline of Elizabeth’s ring where it was tied up inside his handkerchief. No matter how much time passed, he would never stop thinking of her.

When writing, I was reliant on memory, backed up by online research – but before finalising the book I knew I needed to go back to the Blue Mountains. I decided to spend a couple of weeks in Sydney to work on edits and gather more local colour. I did a house and car swap with a lovely couple from the North side of Sydney Harbour and worked on the book, taking trips out to do research – including a drive up into the Blue Mountains. I particularly wanted to scout locations and inspiration for Michael’s wedding and needed to see the interior of the Carrington Hotel. This is a large Victorian hotel and I renamed it The Queen Alexandra in the book. It made a perfect location for a 1920s wedding reception.

The celebrations were held in the vast dining room of the Queen Alexandra Hotel, looking out over formal gardens to the town. Elizabeth was surprised at the grandeur, relative to the size of the town, but remembered that there was plenty of money pouring into the mountains from wealthy tourists and weekenders who expected the same high standards they enjoyed in Sydney. The ceiling was decorated with elaborate cornicing and two enormous glass chandeliers. Romanesque arches ran down each side of the room and ornate columns supported the high ceiling. Kidd must have bought up every florist in Sydney and the room was filled with the scent of flowers.

At the time of A Greater World, Katoomba no longer operated its coal and shale mines – although other towns in the area did, so I named my fictional town MacDonald Falls so I could add and remove elements to suit my story. I wanted an active coal mine that was struggling to survive. I also wanted spectacular scenery and Katoomba certainly offered that. 

She opened the bedroom door. It was an elegant, opulent room. The floor was polished wood; the enormous bed was covered with a blue, silk counterpane in luxurious contrast to the threadbare bedding at Wilton’s Creek. Matching blue silk curtains hung at the tall windows. With a gasp, Elizabeth rushed towards them, overcome by the beauty of the view in front of her. The afternoon sun was lighting up spectacular crags and cliffs and beyond them a wide valley with mountains on the other side. A blue haze spread throughout the valley above the eucalyptus trees which made a dense canopy that reached high up the slopes and craggy walls. Waterfalls plummeted over the edge of the chasm. In the distance, birds circled above the trees. She had never seen a sight more beautiful and less expected. Her spirits lifted. Elizabeth knew she would never tire of rising in the morning to be greeted with this view.

One of my more recent books, Sisters at War, is partly set in Australia but with Covid-19 I had no opportunity to go on location when I was writing it. The book has several chapters set in an alien internment camp in Victoria, north of Melbourne, but the camp no longer exists and the local museum was closed with the lockdown. Using YouTube, I went on a virtual train journey between Melbourne and Sydney for my character Hannah’s journey. The book ends in Sydney so again I was able to draw on my time living there and frequent visits – the most recent being for a couple of days in 2019.

The morning was warm, cloudless, and the sky a vivid blue. Hannah moved along the quayside in front of tall buildings along the right side of the quay, in order to get a better view of the great bridge. The water was as blue as the sky – so different from the dirty grey of the Mersey. Ferries plied their way back and forth and, beyond the bridge on the Northern shore of the Harbour, she could see the giant cartoonish face and twin Art Deco towers of what she later heard was the entrance to Luna Park, a permanent fairground.

I am hoping to return to Australia one day soon for another book – either for real or virtually. I hope it will be for real.

You can purchase Sisters at War in e-book or paperback.