In celebration of the release of HINDSIGHT, I thought it would be fun to show you where the story is set - in my beautiful hometown of Melbourne, Australia, in both the modern day and 1961.
In the starring role are the inner city suburbs of Clifton Hill, Carlton and Fitzroy. These places hold special meaning to me because all of my family came from these suburbs. Like most inner city suburbs, these areas used to house mainly working class people in their tiny terraced houses and duplexes neatly stacked in rows. In fact, the house that HINDSIGHT is set in was built by my own Great Grandfather in the 1880′s and remained in my family until I was one year old and my parents moved to the suburbs. (this photo is not that particular house!)
Melbourne has crazy, unpredictable weather where the four seasons can be experienced in the one day! In Winter the arctic winds blast from the south, so cold that no amount of clothing will keep you safe from the icy blades that slice right through the skin and into every bone.
The summers can either be dry and hot, or steamy and hot. Days of temperatures over 40 deg (104 deg Fahrenheit) can flatten everyone and have the entire population begging for a cool change and thunderstorm.
Autumn is my favourite time of year – the trees are full of russet brown, rich gold and amber leaves, which fall to the ground, creating mounds that invite small children to play in them. The mornings and evenings are chilly and the days are full of sunshine.
And, of course, the world famous horse race that stops not only our nation, but many others as well – The Melbourne Cup, held on the first Tuesday each November. Readers from outside Australia may not be aware that it is actually a public holiday in Melbourne! Yep, we stop everything for a horse race! Cool, huh!
We gather in crowds of 100,000 to watch a game of Australian Rules football, because the competition is tribal. It is a Melbourne religion – and most of the players are really, really cute with utterly fabulous bodies, which is a huge bonus for us girls! Carn the Pies!
But enough of my waffling – here’s a snipped from HINDSIGHT and some great photos…
The air-conditioning is blasting out the vents, trying to keep up with the heatwave that has consumed Melbourne in the dying days of summer. Outside, the heat vapours rise from the road like ghosts of Melbourne past. It’s a beautiful city: majestic, full of character with its mix of Edwardian and Victorian architecture, the network of cobbled alleyways and Harry Potter-esque arcades leading to modern buildings that look as though they were designed by a tormented, but brilliant, acid-popping architect with an obsession with geometry.
You can buy HINDSIGHT from the etailers below, or from Escape Publishing.
JB Hi Fi
Google Play
Booktopia
