The Night Parrots

by Stephen Orr

1922. In the remote Australian outback, Pastor Martin Gerlach's health fails. With no way in or out of his mission, his family and friends devise a plan to move him to the railhead at Oodnadatta. His son, fourteen-year-old Benjamin 'Benno' Gerlach, helps organise a cart and supplies and, along with his mother, the schoolteacher Ignatz Beck, Blind Silas and Jamy, the journey into uncertainty begins. All the time, Benno is forced to move beyond childhood as he faces the loss of his father, as he finds ways to articulate his love, and faith, and navigate a landscape of fire, flood, and his own secret fears.

450 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2026

About the author

Stephen Orr is an Australian writer of novels, short stories and non-fiction. His works are set in uniquely Australian settings, including coastal towns, outback regions and the Australian suburbs. His fiction explores the dynamics of Australian families and communities.