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The Outback
'Wolf Creek' meets 'The Beach' in this gripping tale of a backpacking adventure that turns into a nightmare.
Matt’s time as a backpacker is running out. To avoid a premature trip home and the inevitable return to the unemployment line, he must complete 3 months of labour on an outback farm in order to extend his visa. He arrives in the small town of Birribandi expecting hardship and sacrifice, but soon finds that alcohol, sex and drugs are just as easy to come by as they were on the coast. There is just one problem – his new boss.
Rhett is cold, callous and delights in watching others suffer. When they become convinced that the old man is hiding a criminal past, the backpackers begin to do a little digging. Nothing however, can prepare them for what they find.
As the past starts repeating itself, Matt comes to realize that unless he can discover the truth about his foreman, he and his friends may be in more danger than he ever could have imagined...
Matt’s time as a backpacker is running out. To avoid a premature trip home and the inevitable return to the unemployment line, he must complete 3 months of labour on an outback farm in order to extend his visa. He arrives in the small town of Birribandi expecting hardship and sacrifice, but soon finds that alcohol, sex and drugs are just as easy to come by as they were on the coast. There is just one problem – his new boss.
Rhett is cold, callous and delights in watching others suffer. When they become convinced that the old man is hiding a criminal past, the backpackers begin to do a little digging. Nothing however, can prepare them for what they find.
As the past starts repeating itself, Matt comes to realize that unless he can discover the truth about his foreman, he and his friends may be in more danger than he ever could have imagined...
ebook
First published April 11, 2013
7 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
David Clarkson
7 books2 followersDavid grew up in the north east of England, where he went on to study English Literature at The University of Sunderland. After graduating, he started to write his first fictional stories, but always felt that to become a truly accomplished writer he would need to significantly broaden his horizons. Therefore, just days after his 27th birthday, he bought a one-way ticket to Sydney, Australia.
He spent 2 years in the land down under and travelled through every far flung corner of the country, earning his keep by taking up jobs doing everything from pruning grape vines to driving tractors. In his spare time he vowed to try every new experience that was offered his way, no matter how crazy. He climbed glaciers, swam with sharks, jumped from aeroplanes and pretty much tried to live life as much as possible.
During his time overseas, he was also fortunate enough to meet the love of his life; Katie. Upon the couple's return to the UK in 2009, what was originally intended as a birthday present (a travel journal recounting their time in Asia) helped him to rediscover his vocation in life. He has been writing like a mad man ever since.
All of David's novels are inspired to some extent by his own travels and he writes the kind of books that he would want to read. Far too impatient to spend months waiting for impersonal rejections from literary agents, he decided to publish his work himself. Ultimately, he just wants people to enjoy reading his books as much as he enjoys writing them.
All of his novels are written in standard British English.
If you would like to get in touch or learn more about David's writing, you can visit his website at www.davidclarksonwriter.com or send him an e-mail davidclarksonwriter@gmail.com
He spent 2 years in the land down under and travelled through every far flung corner of the country, earning his keep by taking up jobs doing everything from pruning grape vines to driving tractors. In his spare time he vowed to try every new experience that was offered his way, no matter how crazy. He climbed glaciers, swam with sharks, jumped from aeroplanes and pretty much tried to live life as much as possible.
During his time overseas, he was also fortunate enough to meet the love of his life; Katie. Upon the couple's return to the UK in 2009, what was originally intended as a birthday present (a travel journal recounting their time in Asia) helped him to rediscover his vocation in life. He has been writing like a mad man ever since.
All of David's novels are inspired to some extent by his own travels and he writes the kind of books that he would want to read. Far too impatient to spend months waiting for impersonal rejections from literary agents, he decided to publish his work himself. Ultimately, he just wants people to enjoy reading his books as much as he enjoys writing them.
All of his novels are written in standard British English.
If you would like to get in touch or learn more about David's writing, you can visit his website at www.davidclarksonwriter.com or send him an e-mail davidclarksonwriter@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 18, 2016
A group of backpackers in Australia come together in a remote rural town in Queensland to do some casual work, problems start when a new Manager is appointed, the backpackers believe the Manager is a former criminal and when one of the group is assaulted by a local whilst walking into town they go and report the assault to the Police, after this more trouble brews between the backpackers and the Manager leading to murder. I found the story a bit predictable, the author kept referring to the backpackers as the Englishman or the Irishman or the Canadian or the Australian and I found this a bit offputting as it was repeated a lot in the book. However living in Australia I do not want people to be put off from travelling to this great country, events outside our control can happen anywhere.
March 17, 2017
This was quite a good thriller, set in Queensland, Australia and featuring a group of backpackers from various backgrounds employed at an isolated location to clear some fields. Sadly, neither the Australian setting nor the characters themselves really came to life for me so, although the storyline was okay and quite gripping at the end, it left me a bit cold. Don't really know why but could therefore only award it 3 stars on reflection - 6.5/10.
March 7, 2016
Probably the best thing I liked about the book was the front cover. Everything between the front cover and the back one was for the most part rehashed mush borrowed from countless better novels. The story actually starts off fairly strong, but quickly nose dives into incredulity and mediocrity. The plot is so simple as to resemble a nursery rhyme and I could see what was going to happen chapters before it actually did. The "Burned Beyond Recognition" angle has been used for millenniums. It's a plot device for authors who can't come up with fresher ideas. The author may as well as handed me a the last chapter of the book to save me the trouble of reading through the rest of the story. The main story peters out a third of the way through. What I thought was supposed to be a tension building foray into the violent world of the sociopathic overseer and a group of naïve, easily led, millenniums suddenly veers into a whole different direction - straight to oblivion. It brings a new meaning to the phrase WTF? A mish-mash of ineffective plot devices, stereotypical charactisations of teenage boys and a story that slides all over the place until it winds up in it's own kind of Outback.
July 21, 2013
"The Outback" by David Clarkson was a chance find for me. I have a thing for travel and backpack stories and jumped at this book which follows a group of international younger people on a work assignment in the outback, clearing fields for three months.
The world is full of possibilities, visa problems and living in the moment. Beer, love, smoking and discovering the world, but the real world catches up with them in form of a nasty supervisor, the hostile nature and clashes with the law and the world of the aborigines. The group of characters in the book is colourful and entertaining, the friendships and relationships formed are very realistic and the book gives an excellent account of the work as you travel experience.
This is excellently written, has great suspense and is a treat for anyone who has ever been on a backpack holiday. I found this very hard to put down, the tension and the pace of the story is really well done. Maybe I am too partial to the genre but I recommend this highly.
The world is full of possibilities, visa problems and living in the moment. Beer, love, smoking and discovering the world, but the real world catches up with them in form of a nasty supervisor, the hostile nature and clashes with the law and the world of the aborigines. The group of characters in the book is colourful and entertaining, the friendships and relationships formed are very realistic and the book gives an excellent account of the work as you travel experience.
This is excellently written, has great suspense and is a treat for anyone who has ever been on a backpack holiday. I found this very hard to put down, the tension and the pace of the story is really well done. Maybe I am too partial to the genre but I recommend this highly.
January 5, 2016
When a group of backpackers head to Birribandi for three months of 'stick picking' the experience has all the promise of 'Butlins in Beirut' as one of them puts it. However, in addition to the hardships of living and working in the out back they weren't counting on meeting the malicious Rhett Buttler, who is not only acting as their manager but is also a man of shady character.
This thriller starts off quite well and is easy to read but I did find it lost pace around the 40% Mark and didn't really get going again until around 65%, when a number of events and revelations kept the book interesting.
The mystery, twists in plot, descriptions of landscape, Aboriginal culture and dramatic conclusion are all strong points of the book I enjoyed but I found the characterisations a bit lacking for me.
A good holiday read if you enjoy thrillers and definitely one to challenge your constitution if you're heading out to backpack in the Australian outback.
This thriller starts off quite well and is easy to read but I did find it lost pace around the 40% Mark and didn't really get going again until around 65%, when a number of events and revelations kept the book interesting.
The mystery, twists in plot, descriptions of landscape, Aboriginal culture and dramatic conclusion are all strong points of the book I enjoyed but I found the characterisations a bit lacking for me.
A good holiday read if you enjoy thrillers and definitely one to challenge your constitution if you're heading out to backpack in the Australian outback.
November 7, 2015
Enjoyable mystery with adventure.
I liked reading about these adventurous young adults trying to backpack through Australia. Needing a temporary job to extend visas bring several people together in the outback. Unfortunately, they find much trouble. I liked the plot, characters, and the author's writing style. Nice, easy read that was hard to put down.
I liked reading about these adventurous young adults trying to backpack through Australia. Needing a temporary job to extend visas bring several people together in the outback. Unfortunately, they find much trouble. I liked the plot, characters, and the author's writing style. Nice, easy read that was hard to put down.
March 7, 2014
Loved this was a mix of real life and supernatural definitely worth a read
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews