Tracking North

by Kerry McGinnis

Kelly Roberts finds refuge in the rugged and remote cattle country of northern Australia, but when tragedy strikes she is forced to find a new life for herself and her children outside of Rainsford Station.

She retreats to the family's only asset – a freehold block of land owned jointly by her eccentric father-in-law, Quinn. In the valley at Evergreen Springs, Quinn hopes the fractured family might all come together to start over again.

Life in Queensland's far north is wildly unpredictable, with daily challenges and the wet season, in all its wild majesty, to survive. But when twelve-year-old Rob makes the gruesome discovery of a dead body in the valley, real peril comes far too close to home.

Tracking North is a beautiful family story about life in the stunning Gulf Country, one of the world's most unique and fascinating places.

'Vividly transports you to the Gulf Country . . . settle in for a really enjoyable read.' Susan Duncan, bestselling author of Salvation Creek

Genres: Australia, Contemporary

360 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 2014

About the author

Kerry McGinnis was born in Adelaide and, at the age of twelve, took up a life of droving with her father and three siblings. The family travelled extensively across the Northern Territory and Queensland before settling on a station in the Gulf Country. Kerry has worked as a shepherd, droving hand, gardener, stock-camp and station cook, eventually running a property at Bowthorn, near Mount Isa. She is the author of two volumes of memoir and now lives in Bundaberg.

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all know how rapidly our lives can change when tragedy strikes and for Kelly Roberts that's exactly what happened when she receives the devastating news about her husband, Bob.

Kelly's whole world has been turned upside down and she has no idea what to do next. Living in the rugged remote area at Rainsford Station in far North Queensland's Gulf country with her children Rob and Annie, Kelly must try and pick up the pieces and continue battling on, but without her husband by her side she's not sure where to begin.

What Kelly did know was that living with or near her mother or her sister was not an alternative. Making a new start and doing it on her own is what she believed would be best for all of them, so when Kelly's father in law suggests they move into the property that Bob was in partnership with his father she thought why not give it a go. The beautiful Evergreen Springs was to be their new start, but would it turn out the way Kelly wanted it to or was there more bad times ahead?

Tracking North is a brilliant read which I thoroughly loved. Aussie author Kerry McGinnis has an amazing gift when it comes to writing about landscape and the wonderful countryside. When she describes it, you can actually visualize it and that to me is pure talent in my opinion. Highly recommended.

[Sue Gerhardt Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Having experienced and explored the stunning Aussie Outback and the Gulf Country, the north-west region of Queensland has made this story all the more incredible and believable and being familiar with some of the locations added further enjoyment to the story.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelly Roberts had made her home with husband Bob, son Rob and daughter Annie at Rainsford Station in far north Queensland’s Gulf country. She had a feeling of discontent in her marriage the day Bob left to muster cattle some distance away – boarding school for young Rob was on the agenda – Kelly wanted him to go, to learn more life skills; Bob wanted him to stay. The children had been home-schooled by Kelly in conjunction with the School of the Air up until now, but with high school looming, the decisions were troublesome.

When the tragic news reached Kelly that their life had just changed in a heartbeat, she had no idea what to do, where to go, how she would cope. But she knew she needed to pick herself up and keep going for the sake of the children. After determining once again that living with, or even near, her mother and sister was definitely NOT on the agenda, her father-in-law Quinn came to her rescue. Bob had had part ownership of a property with his estranged father; the beautiful Evergreen Springs would in turn become their sanctuary.

Gradually the family healed – Rob turned into the typical prickly teenager, never wanting a hug or cuddle from his Mum (he was too old for that sort of thing!) while Annie being younger, loved her Mum’s cuddles. Quinn was always there in the background, and quite often in the foreground too – a dedicated and much loved grandfather. Day to day living on the land was busy, sometimes unpredictable, but always interesting.

Suddenly though, the dynamics changed – the prickle of tension and danger were in the air. Would the wonder and beauty of Evergreen Springs and the surrounding countryside no longer be a sanctuary? Would the family once again know tragedy?

What a wonderful book! I absolutely loved it – the beauty of the countryside; the descriptive text was vibrant and unique – I felt like I was there and could feel the humidity along with the enjoyment when the rains came. I really enjoyed all the main characters, but I particularly loved Quinn; the author has got the authenticity of this character down so well, I could see him, he made me laugh out loud on a number of occasions with his dry wit. He definitely was a major part of the story! I have no hesitation in recommending this novel highly by Aussie author Kerry McGinnis.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.

[Bree T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelly Roberts lives with her husband on a huge spread in the remote cattle country in northern Australia. This has been her life since she left home at eighteen and boarded a bus. She worked as a ringer/jillaroo and there she met Bob, a skilled horseman who knew his place in the world and how to do his job. Together they had two children, raising them on properties. When tragedy strikes, Kelly takes her two children to her father-in-law’s property. Bob was long estranged from his father but both Kelly and her father-in-law Quinn believe that they can start over again and heal the rift.

At the property Evergreen Springs, Quinn has been slowly turning it into a camping ground for tourists and Kelly, as part owner of the property, isn’t sure that they should be splashing so much money around without having much of an idea about the return. She has the children to think of – both of them have been schooled by the School of the Air but her eldest Rob will soon either need to go to boarding school or board in town with a local and attend the high school. Kelly doesn’t want to leave Evergreen Springs but the reality is, she may need to move to town and get a job so that she can afford to send the children to school. Quinn convinces her to give six months on the property a go and see if she can sees them making a proper go of it. The tourists are coming – their land has a creek, a perfect camping ground and Quinn makes sure that there’s always plenty to do and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables to sell them. In his mind it’s the perfect business, they just need to nurture it and watch it grow.

Then Rob makes a sinister discovery in the bush and Kelly realises that danger lurks not too far away from the peaceful property they have made their home.

Tracking North is the first book I’ve read from Kerry McGinnis and it’s set in the Gulf Country, the north-west region of Queensland that is wedged between the Cape of York and Arnhem Land and fronts onto the Gulf of Carpentaria. The setting is beautiful. So much time is devoted to describing the properties, the isolation, the types of buildings the characters live in and the improvements they use. They live without grid electricity, using wood stoves for cooking and heating until Quinn rigs up a generator to light the buildings. In the Wet season they can be cut off from town for weeks if the roads flood or just the sheer amount of rain makes them impossible to navigate without being bogged. The children have a lovely freedom that’s somewhat reminiscent of the Mary Grant Bruce Billabong series that I loved so much as a kid – riding their ponies, helping out with chores, doing some lessons and growing vegetables etc until they head either to boarding school or into town at 12/13 years old to go to high school.

The story is so enjoyable, I found myself sinking into it with absolutely nothing distracting me. Kelly is having to ‘start over’ after a tragic loss. She’s had to uproot her children and change their lives and they’ve lost someone who was most important to them. Her son is growing into a man, fighting against her restrictions and she longs to hold him closer for just a little longer, keep him her baby. But he’s been raised in the bush to be independent, to be capable and strong and she knows that she needs to let him have his freedom, keep growing up and developing and learning things. They are all capable really – Kelly is used to isolated life having lived it with Bob for well over a decade. She can cook, keep a garden and is not afraid of hard work. She can read the weather and knows what the patterns mean.

I’m not cut out for that sort of life (am far too precious to give up my indoor plumbing, laptop, cable TV etc) but I love reading about it. McGinnis paints a lovely sense of community as well, detailing the local events and the way they welcome each other’s children into their homes, often for weeks at a time (or to board semi-permanently). She also capitalises on the remoteness of the Gulf to work in a story of a mystery aircraft and what it might possibly be up to. There’s also the small possibility of a new future for Kelly as well and all of these strands work together quite effortlessly, woven into one cohesive and enjoyable story. I loved the character of Quinn – a tough old bushman, no education to speak of but possessed of a very different sort of knowledge and skilled in all sorts of bush and rural trades plus he turned out to be much wilier than anyone, especially Kelly assumed. Quinn definitely added a certain spark to the story and it was fantastic watching his relationships with the children grow as they got to know each other.

Tracking North is a wonderful story and Kerry McGinnis has obviously used her extensive knowledge of the area and also remote cattle property living to craft it. I am definitely adding her other books to my TBR list.

[Carol - Reading Writing and Riesling · Rating 5 out of 5]

My View:
Full of surprises, wonderful insight, humour, a poignant country side, a flowing memorable narrative and rich likeable characters, this novel has it all!

I was both surprised and delighted by this novel – the settings are superb; McGinnis writes with a rich colourful palette bringing to life the rugged rural lifestyle of cattle country in Australia’s north, portraying the hardships, the isolation, the Wet Season and the stamina and strength of the women living and working in these remote regions. The women in this novel are the true heroes; supporting their families, educating their children (with the aid of the School of the Air), living in isolated communities, working on the station and dealing with the change that is modern farming. Tracking North is a fitting tribute to all women who have worked/work now in the bush/on the farm.

But Tracking North is more than just a story with beautiful settings and heroic women; it is a narrative that is written with passion and love, the words flow, unable to be constrained by the mere page, blossoming with wit, humour and such wonderful insight about love, life, family relationships and growing up. I have never come across a contemporary work of fiction that has had me itching to turn the page, reading till early hours of the morning...such is the power of this narrative; engaging and mesmerising.

McGinnis has a great command of language and is able to make her characters and their conversations step of the page onto the stage.
I particularly enjoyed the old canny grandfather, Quinn; full of quiet wisdom, with a wonderful sense of humour and with the powerful motivation of seeking redemption, he transforms this narrative into more than a rural romance.

This novel is a delight to read. And I just loved the cover art!

[Ellen-Arwen Tristram · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of a woman's life turned upside down when she has to make a new life for and her kids. She really doesn't have anyone to turn to in the middle of the Australian Outback, so moves in with her father-in-law, Quinn, a man she doesn't know particularly well and is rather nervous of. Her nervousness turns into suspicion: just where is he getting all this money? Amidst grieving, Kelly is trying to bring up her children in extraordinary circumstances, and trying to make herself economically independent, strange things are happening - to the place, to her, to her kids...

I have to admit I didn't care much for the story or the characters... it just didn't grab me , I don't know why! State of mind? Probably worth giving a try if this is your genre.

[Linda Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another audio for me that I can listen to while working. Author had a good handle on the seasons and beauty and terror of the north. Bit predictable and romantic, however, I did actually keep listening to it after I finished my work😂

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tracking North, Kerry McGinnis's fourth novel, is an engaging story of family and second chances set in the stunning Gulf country.

Kelly Roberts' life is turned upside down when she suddenly finds herself widowed with two children. Forced to leave the station that had been her family's home, Kelly dreads the idea of moving into town, or in with her mother who disapproved of her marriage, so when her father-in-law, Quinn, offers them a place at nearby Evergreen Springs she accepts his invitation as a temporary arrangement. But the longer she stays, the harder it is to contemplate leaving...

Set in the spectacular Gulf Country, which ranges across the northern borders of Queensland and the Northern Territory to the Gulf of Carpentaria, it's clear the author has an intimate understanding of life in the remote regions of outback Australia, particularly its challenges in relation to the everyday tasks that urban dwellers take for granted. Grocery shopping and collecting the mail entails hours of driving over rutted, dirt roads, electricity is provided by temperamental and noisy generators, the children rely on the School of the Air for education or must be sent away and for weeks every year the Wet Season limits their access to the world beyond their doorstep. I really enjoyed this glimpse into a life so different from mine and its challenges and joys.

Though I admired Kelly's strength and resourcefulness, there were times when I found her a little priggish, especially in relation to her father in law, Quinn and his ambitions. I felt for her though as she struggled with her son's growing independence, her guilt over the final moments she spent with her husband and her fears for the future. I loved Quinn unreservedly, a hard working, wise old bushie with a huge heart and a few tricks up sleeve.

Though the focus of Tracking North is on family, McGinnis introduces suspense into the story when Twice stumbles upon a dead body and clandestine airstrip on the border of Evergreen Springs. There is also a low key romance that the author develops between Kelly and police sergeant Frank Watson.

Tracking North is a well written, lovely contemporary novel that I really enjoyed and I hope to read more by McGinnis soon.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 1 out of 5]

It didn't improve, it stayed boring as batshit which for a story with a murder, drug runners, missing teenager and hostage situation is quite an achievement!

Worse than the boredom (making sandwiches and being scared of snakes gets more focus than the literal murder) was the way this was written to be a vehicle for (right-wing) ideology I think more than the rather obvious and presictable story. I got a bit sick of the:

-heavy handed gender roles, especially the way a spoilt, entitled boy is portrayed as normally masculine and something to be proud of

-resultant aggressive heterosexuality

-hatred for nature (snakes are for killing, dogs are ensign expendible)

-racist microaggressions against "Aboriginals", refugees and "Chinks"

-The illogical love for mining companies and development given that the attraction of living out in the bush was meant to be all the birds and wallabies and fishing spots etc.

Being rich is a crime when it's dentists but is wonderful when it's an old man who neglected his family to find minerals for mining companies and talks with an exaggerated accent "orl right".

This was just stupid. I try to always finish books but the whole time I was wishing it was over. Also noone cared about the literal murder victim!!!! The epilogue is a wedding...of course it bloody is.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tracking North, author Kerry McGinnis.
As the title indicates, the setting is in rural Australia, North Queensland. This book is a very enjoyable read. If your a fan of Aussie slang, you’ll get plenty of it here. It is a slow burn and I must admit, I had to restrain myself from putting the book aside. However, once I got through the first few chapters, Kerry has a very captivating way of describing the outback, painting a picture that transports your mind into a time and place, one where you don’t want to leave.
There is nothing far fetched with this book. The storyline has hints of many genres, including hardship, success, crime, thriller, adventure, romance, literary everything (maybe not sci-fi).
The characters are believable and memorable.
I could have stopped reading at the epilogue and in some ways I wish I did. I imagined the story would end in the way it did, however reading it in the epilogue was a bit cheesy romantic for me.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel. The author has a lovely way of describing situations which makes the story come alive in the minds eye. I listened to it as an audio book and the reader was exceptionally clever at changing from one character to the next. The story situated in remote northern Australia had a well balanced plot with everyday life on a station dominating the background to the story . Add in some emotional turmoil, tension, romance and adventure and you’ve got a fine recipe for an engaging read.

[Liz Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant light read

One woman’s struggle to define her life and build a future in the often harsh Gulf country and the people who make their lives in Australia’s far north.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best parts in my eyes were the descriptions of nature in the Wet

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as audiobook

[Tan Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read.

[Kerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, this is a book on the very edge of crime fiction, on the soft edge one might say. Certainly there is a crime, and a murder, and some violence, but essentially it is a story abut a way of life in Australia, in the Far North, and a family making its way in a world that is changing rapidly.

Kerry McGinnis has obviously drawn on first hand experience of living and working in remote Queensland, and I couldn't help wondering how a non-Australian reader would see the landscape and life style that she describes. Perhaps it will be an eye opener.

I did enjoy the book, inveterate crime fiction reader that I am, much more than I expected to, even the romance that won its way in the end. And, as the friend who recommended it to me said, there is mystery, there is the odd puzzle to be solved.

[Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tracking North provides an accurate picture of life in the bush. It is also a powerful yarn of a family overcoming the impact of the sudden loss of the patriarch of the family. This is a novel that combines love, passion, second chances and celebrates coming of age through its unforgettable cast of characters. Tracking North is another winner from the very talented Australian author Kerry McGinnis, who clearly draws from her rich wealth of experience living and working on the land. I’m dearly looking forward to her next novel.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great Australian family story, the surprising strength of some characters and the happiness you can find when you discover where you are meant to be. The landscape of northern Queensland is described in detail and adds to the enjoyment of the story. The landscape flows over me and I could visualise it. The suspense/mystery side of the story could have been used to create more tension, but the focus of the story remains firmly on Kelly and her family coping after a tragedy.

[Jean Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very descriptive narrative set in the Gulf country with a bit of thriller and mild romance as well. Her descriptions of the country, conditions in the wet and life on an isolated property as well as her characterisation make this well worth reading. going to find more of her books if the library has them.

[Deb Bodinnar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and hoping there could possibly be a sequel. Kerry has a real knack of capturing her readers attention, keeping you wanting to know "what's next?". It's books like this that make you want to visit the locations described.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great read! Loved the family story. Almost didn't read after the "cold as gins tit" reference in first page. Didn't need to be there & I put book down for a few days. Thoroughly enjoyed it but that reference needs to come out!!!!!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The setting and the way of life is a superb background to this story of love, loss and family. The characters are real and alive and the choices and challenges posed by life in the Gulf is fascinating. The author has "been there and done that" and makes the story absolutely believable.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Kerry McGinnis. Sad and happy mixed with struggle and achievements in the spectacular Aussie outback.

[Wendyjune · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick love read, given as a gift and sometimes you just need a book to vege out to, this is good for that.

[Robyn Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, original story set in remote northern Australia. Wonderful writing. A bit of a happy-ever-after-story but sometimes you need stories like this. I loved it!

[Sarah Rayner · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good ending but a very slow start to the book. A struggle to keep reading at times.