Barcy Galah

Book excerpt: Life sucks, then you find Barcaldine. This is an unlikely love story where a city boy heads west and falls madly in love with outback Barcaldine, western Queensland. In Barcaldine, family is everything. The matriarch of the family is Grandma Elizabeth Mary Sleeman, who, with her sisters Louisa Jane and Amelia Ann, rule the family roost. A skeleton in the closet emerges which, if revealed, would shock people to the core. City boy Kerry, with ‘Chunda’ Urquhart as his new mate, are soon inseparable, pushing boundaries and getting into strife. So, adjust your bicycle seats and come riding with the Barcy boys as they swim and fish in the nearby Alice River, or seek treasure at the local dump, building and defending their fort from other Barcy gangs, with shangeyes as their weapons of choice. On busy weekends, attend pony club riding rogue, adrenalin-high stock horses, or go ‘roo and pig shooting as a form of family bonding. Meet up at George’s Greek cafe for a milkshake and plan their next misadventure, or take in a movie in canvas seats, where boiled lollies are sucked and young love blossoms. However, don’t be caught in Beverley’s torch of shame. Enjoy the trip down memory lane, where no one is defriended.