We of the Never, Never

Gunn, Aeneas Mrs. We of the Never, Never, Richmond, Vic. : Hutchinson of Australia, 1983.

Set in the Northern Territory in 1902, the newly-married Jeannie Gunn (Mrs Aeneas Gunn) leaves the security and comfort of her Melbourne home to travel to the depths of the Northern Territory, where her husband had been appointed manager of 'The Elsey', a large cattle station. She was the first white woman to settle in the Mataranka area and was discouraged from accompanying her husband to the station on the basis that as a woman she would be "out of place" on a station such as the Elsey.  She was at first resented by people on and around the station, till her warmth and spirit won their affection and respect. We of the Never Never describes the journey and settling in and is a moving and simple account of her life amidst the beauty and cruelty of the land, and the isolation and loneliness.