What do you think?
Follow the Salt
Between desert and coast, stories dwell in a place called The Belt…
In November 2024, eleven writers (sadly, one had to stay home) drove to the Western Australian Wheatbelt town of Dumbleyung for an immersive writing retreat. They lodged at the town’s once grand hotel and learned from Aboriginal cultural guides, an environmental scientist and farmers about the ecological devastation of the surrounding land and lake. These raw and vivid experiences inspired the stories in this thrilling anthology of new Australian gothic fiction.
Edited by award-winning author Donna Mazza, this collection of unsettling short fiction features a hyper-saline lake, haunted landscapes, missing people, tourists, a bar manager, and ghosts. Set in the past, present and future, the stories pay homage to a lake and a land that is calling out for love; they find the unreal in the commonplace, beauty in the shadows, and humour in the dark. This collection will leach into your psyche and score your heart, leaving traces of a place that refuses to rest in peace.
The authors are a group of regional writers, alumni of ECU South West, whose names you need to know now (including the one that stayed home): Amber Black, Aksel Dadswell, Narrelle de Boer, Tiffany Hastie, Annie Horner, Jodie How, Donna Mazza, Rachel McEleney, Andrew James Mcleod, Jo Porter, Theresa Wilks and Ines Zimmermann.
Like the rooms of an old hotel, each stunningly intimate piece is a stand-alone portrait of lives lived, passed and entangled between and beyond walls.
—Laura Jean McKay
A timely and synchronous piece of Western Australian gothic fiction which must not be
missed.
—Josh Kemp
In November 2024, eleven writers (sadly, one had to stay home) drove to the Western Australian Wheatbelt town of Dumbleyung for an immersive writing retreat. They lodged at the town’s once grand hotel and learned from Aboriginal cultural guides, an environmental scientist and farmers about the ecological devastation of the surrounding land and lake. These raw and vivid experiences inspired the stories in this thrilling anthology of new Australian gothic fiction.
Edited by award-winning author Donna Mazza, this collection of unsettling short fiction features a hyper-saline lake, haunted landscapes, missing people, tourists, a bar manager, and ghosts. Set in the past, present and future, the stories pay homage to a lake and a land that is calling out for love; they find the unreal in the commonplace, beauty in the shadows, and humour in the dark. This collection will leach into your psyche and score your heart, leaving traces of a place that refuses to rest in peace.
The authors are a group of regional writers, alumni of ECU South West, whose names you need to know now (including the one that stayed home): Amber Black, Aksel Dadswell, Narrelle de Boer, Tiffany Hastie, Annie Horner, Jodie How, Donna Mazza, Rachel McEleney, Andrew James Mcleod, Jo Porter, Theresa Wilks and Ines Zimmermann.
Like the rooms of an old hotel, each stunningly intimate piece is a stand-alone portrait of lives lived, passed and entangled between and beyond walls.
—Laura Jean McKay
A timely and synchronous piece of Western Australian gothic fiction which must not be
missed.
—Josh Kemp
ebook
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 22, 2025
I have a story in this book so I'm definitely biased, but I think it's brilliant.
February 2, 2026
I enjoyed the mix of stories based on a visit to Dumbleyung by the group of authors. I had visited the town in recent years and could visualise the landscapes they described and the feelings evoked. I particularly enjoyed how some of the stories were nearly absurd, stretching the reader's belief yet still conveying the authors reaction to the landscape. At times I felt they were too harsh on what they discovered but I accept that a writer may look for a hard, unconventional aspect to give their story life. An enjoyable read AND I was glad I heard them speak at a local literary festival (where I bought the book). And it's good to support local authors.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews