Thank you to my wife, Laura, for being so encouraging about this project in the beginning, and to my family—all of my families—for being a source of inspiration and support every day. Thanks to my sister Beth for riding with me.
To Alan Wearne, Tony Macri and Christine Howe, my thanks for providing invaluable feedback in the early days that gave the narrative shape. For their incredibly kind words and support, thank you to Stephen Romei, Jenny Barry and Rohan Wilson. And to Julie and Gaynor at the Mildura Visitors Information Centre, thank you for answering a torrent of baffling questions with grace.
To everyone at Allen & Unwin, there are no words. Thank you for being the most generous, supportive and creative team that anyone could have hoped to collaborate with. My thanks to Christa Munns, Jennifer Thurgate and Genevieve Buzo; my endless gratitude to Ali Lavau, for her thorough, thoughtful reading and suggestions; to Hilary Reynolds for sharpening the tone and catching my mistakes; to Sarah Baker for revealing my overuse of the word ‘sharpening’; and to Annette Barlow for everything—simply everything.