Showing results by narrator "Olivia Beardsley" in All Categories

It is 1941. Eighteen-year-old Ruby leaves behind the family farm, her serious mother and roguish father and heads for Adelaide. After a brief courtship, she enters into a hasty marriage with a soldier about to go to war - who returns a changed man. With an eyebrow pencil in one hand and gardening shears in the other, Ruby navigates the years doing her duty as a woman, contending with her damaged husband and eccentric in-laws, allowing marriage and motherhood to fill her with purpose and pleasure - and only occasionally wondering, is this all there is?

Ten years ago, 15-year-old Darren Davies was shot dead at the river mouth. The killer was never found. Now, Darren's mother Sandra receives a visit from the police. Her best friend, Barbara Russell, has also been found dead, out in the bush. And Barbara's DNA matches the DNA found under Darren's fingernails. When the investigation into Darren's murder is reopened, Sandra begins to question what she knew about her best friend. As she digs, she discovers that there are many secrets in her small town - and that her late son had his own, too.

When Amy takes up her first teaching position in an outback Queensland town she feels like her life is going ahead in leaps and bounds. However, her new boss doesn't make life easy and she begins to question her choice of career. Angus, a third-generation local, also struggles with life in the small town. A mistake made in his youth haunts him and stops him from letting anyone get too close. As the two become friends and hostilities within the small town come to a head, Amy and Angus are faced with decisions that could take them in an unknown direction.

Kindergarten teacher Jacinta Mason is horrified when she attends the hen's night at the local pub for Sophie Cartwright, her future sister-in-law. Meeting Ryder Francesco again leaves her reeling. His new career is a far cry from his past studies in medical research. Jacinta is the last person Ryder expected to encounter on the outback tour with his male dance troupe. Circumstances have changed his life drastically since he had to leave her. Jacinta is torn. The hurt from her past tells her to steer clear of Ryder, but her heart wants to dig deeper and find why he really left

Escaping personal upheaval, city accountant Billie Gibbs takes a break in a friend's country lakeside shack. Local farmer Noah Sutton arrives at the shack to investigate the unexpected visitor on a neighbouring property. He wants her to stay, but needs her to leave. Resisting an instant attraction in the face of mysterious happenings around the lake, Billie believes Noah is not all he seems, and sets out to discover why.

When horticulturist Tarni Morgan takes on a part-time position at the McClaren Mango Farm, it's a chance for a new beginning in the Northern Territory. Hiding a tragic past, Tarni treasures her privacy. She is surprised when the property owners leave on a three-month trip not long after she accepts the position, but is happy to house-sit in their absence. The only downside is Cy Prescott, the relieving manager. As they work together, Tarni begins to realise that Cy holds secrets just as she does, and fights her growing attraction to this taciturn man.

Highway roadhouse waitress Holly Duncan's life is on hold - until she can accept her mother's disappearance of five years ago, decide where her future lies, and move on. Loner truck driver Tom Searle's life would sure be looking up, and close to blessed, if the stunning roadhouse redhead didn't seem so uncertain about his approaches. When new information and revelations rock Holly's world, Tom seizes the opportunity to step up and offer support.

When Laura Adnum arrives unexpectedly in Augathella to visit the three sons of her deceased sister Julia, it seems she is there to cause trouble. Laura is not impressed that her brother-in-law Braden Cartwright is planning to marry Callie Young. Newly appointed local doctor Harry Higgins is surprised when Laura insists on visiting him to check that the care of her three nephews is adequate. Harry has his own demons and has come to Augathella for peace and a quiet life. Harry is suspicious of Laura's motives. Why has she suddenly decided to visit three nephews she has never met?

Widowed and at a crossroads in her life, Sandra Porter knows she must find the courage to find her true self. Deciding it's time to push her boundaries, she makes a booking to trek the Larapinta Walk across the centre of the remote Northern Territory. Renowned nature photographer Graysen Hughes has come to the outback seeking solace after the death of his wife. Always a loner, Graysen isn't happy when the tour guide insists on the participants walking in pairs. After a suspicious accident and the sudden disappearance of their guide, the group struggles on.

As she approaches thirty, dedicated nurse Ellie Sutton's life is how she wants it—well, almost. Her younger sister, Carrie, seems to have it all sorted though: a successful hair business, a devoted new boyfriend and a rosy future together. Even Ellie's brother, Bodhi, is settled with his petite, super-chill chef girlfriend, Ingrid. So why does Ellie suddenly give up her career and family for the red dust and toil of an outback cattle station? She's never run from anything before—it's new territory in more ways than one.

Determined never to trust a man again, Callie Young walks out of her job as a presenter on the weather channel, determined to take the first job that will get her out of the city and away from the TikTok video, #WRONGFORECAST, that has amused the world. Meeting her new employer, the cranky and bossy owner of Kilcoy Station, reinforces her belief that no man can be trusted—but, to her dismay, that doesn't stop her developing an attraction to him! Braden is unimpressed with the glamorous woman the employment agency sends in response to his desperate ad for a nanny.

Ignited by a lightning strike in a remote forest, the Currowan fire was one of the most terrifying episodes of Australia's Black Summer. It burnt for 74 days, consuming nearly 5,000 square kilometres of land, destroying well over 500 homes and leaving many people shattered. In the aftermath, there were questions. Why were resources so few that many faced the flames alone? Why was there back-burning on a day of extreme fire danger? Why weren’t they better prepared?

Fallon Malone is a loner, refusing to rely on anyone else for her happiness. She's content being her own boss, working in the skies of the remote Queensland outback. When she begins her contract in the Augathella region for the annual cattle muster, she's unimpressed with the new station manager. Jon Ingram is equally unhappy with this new female bush pilot, hired by Kent Mason, owner of neighbouring Lara Waters. It doesn't help that she seems to be a law unto herself. As the stockman and bush pilot come head-to-head, nature conspires to bring them together.

Coming together for a writing workshop with bestselling author Jan Goldstein, four strangers converge upon a luxury forest retreat. But along with their notepads and laptops, each of the participants has brought some emotional baggage. Beth is a solo parent and busy career woman haunted by a tragic car accident. Simone, the youngest at 26, is a successful Instagram star but she's hiding behind a façade. Jamie is the only man. He's a handsome personal trainer - but he looks out of place with a pen in his hand. Finally, Alice is a wife and mum recovering from post-natal depression.

Cynthia was just about to turn sixteen when the unthinkable happened. Her mother was taken away by the police, and her father left without a word three months later. After that night, Cynthia began to walk in slow circles outside the family home looking for traces of her sister Mallory - she's sure that she must be somewhere else now, wherever that is.

Following her grandmother's death and mysterious legacy, nomadic artist Piper Thorne embarks on a mission to reclaim a stolen family treasure and right a wrong. But rugged adversary and private investigator Ben Powell is not the only thing standing in her way.

Bestselling author Liam Wyndham needs an escape. Noosa, with its small-town charm and beautiful ocean, is the perfect place to hide out from the scandal surrounding his estranged dead wife. Georgie wants an adventure, and she has a plane ticket that promises her everything: excitement, independence, and a way to escape the memory of her last ruined relationship. Still, she has one last job to complete before she can leave the country. And the last thing she needs is a recalcitrant author distracting her from her plans.

Amelia Foley's parents hoped for a professional career in the city for their only daughter. But she hates city life, and sets off to work as a jillaroo on Kilcoy Station. Local shire building inspector Ben Riley visits Kilcoy to advise Braden Cartwright on a planned expansion. After a run-in with Amelia's sidekick - Chilli, the golden retriever - Ben insists she and her pet come to town to attend the local dog obedience classes. As the jillaroo and the inspector spend more time together, attraction grows quickly.

When Sophie Cartwright comes home to Augathella, she doesn't get the welcome she expected. Her brother, Braden, has got his father act together, the new staff at Kilcoy Station are keeping things running, and Sophie, well, she feels...unwanted. As for her ex, Kent Mason, he and his attitude could go take a flying leap.

Forced to reassess her future, IT nerd and country girl Addie Kendall returns to her family's Wimmera farm. When she contacts her former school friend Harry Chandler with alarming news, they're compelled to unite to solve a criminal injustice. In pursuit of answers, they stumble upon a shocking find in the district's iconic Banyandah homestead, deserted since a family tragedy ten years ago.