Outback Ferals

by Hazel Edwards

Eco- activist Kyle has just arrived in Darwin for a temp job checking gardens for diseased vines.His housemates are helpful, even Coco who sells bush designs at the Night Markets.Seems easy enough, but Kyle's undercover job also involves befriending a chopper pilot who may be bringing illegal bugs into the country. Infection and the threat of a pandemic is taken very seriously in the Top End.As Kyle gets to know Darwin's eccentric locals and backpacker scene he realises that his task may not be as easy as he first thought. He finds himself face to face with a croc, some of the friendly locals turn out to be 'ferals', and working undercover is complicating life with his housemates...especially as his chief suspect looks like becoming a good friend. Is this pandemic threat real, or is it just media hype?

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Hazel is a readaholic, author and Reading Ambassador.

She’s best known for the children’s classic ‘There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake’ which inspired ' Hippo! Hippo! the, Musical'' produced by Garry Ginivan which toured nationally.

January 2026 , The Guardian newspaper listed 'There's a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake' in the top 50 Australian picture books. End January 2026 voting in the Guardian poll will close for the top picture book.
2026 will celebrate the 46th year of this picture book.

Her unconventional memoir 'Not Just a Piece of Cake-Being an Author' (AUDIBLE and from www.ligatu _re as part of UnTapped project of historical Australian literature. ).
'Wasted?' a YA/adult cross over #Clific novel is her latest, set around the Garbage Patches, mid ocean where Asylum Seekers trade bio fuel to form a new State and gain visas. In dsylexi font from ReadHowYouWant and being adapted for screen.
Adult murder mystery 'Celebrant Sleuth: I do...or die' with asexual sleuth Quinn is currently on AUDIBLE ,read by the author from print & e versions. 'Wed,Then Dead on The Ghan' is a mini-sequel , commissioned by ABC audio and currently being adapted as a screenplay.
Hazel mentors her 'Hazelnuts' and helps people craft their ancestry in her popular workshops ‘Writing a Non- Boring Family History’, and 'Complete Your Book in a Year'.
'Fake I.D.' a family history mystery YA novel was translated into Tamil by Cre-A in Chennai.

Hazel’s 2001 Antarctic expedition inspired the young adult eco-thriller 'Antarctica's Frozen Chosen', picture book ‘Antarctic Dad’ (reprinted by Kipas) and the memoir, ‘Antarctic Writer on Ice’. Reading about Antarctica is a hobby.
Recently AmbaPress.com.au re-issued updated script collections of Hazel's class plays including 'Grief and Loss in Schools' , 'Issues' and 'Workplays' as well as 'Kaleidoscope of Ideas for Gifted students'. Authorpreneurship' and 'Writing for Young People' have been popular.

Hazel writes a new story for each of her four grandsons each birthday. 'Go Go Gecko' is latest and is being translated.

Reviews

[Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyle and Jason are Quarantine Officers, patrolling the mean outskirts of Darwin for illegal and diseased plants. Kyle has two problems. The first is these plants are often locked away in homemade forts owned by people from the Quarantine Office's `Nutters File' - like Mr A.N. Zac and his feral bush dog Nick.

The second is Kyle's secret job, watching the mysterious chopper pilot Ng, who is suspected of importing illegal goods. Kyle's boss wants him to get close to Ng: so close that Kyle moves into Ng's sharehouse. He meets the gorgeous, streetwise Coco and comedian Rem, and finds out how hard it is to spy on people he's fast becoming friends with.

Hazel Edwards is best-known for her Hippopotamus... series of picture books, but is also a prolific writer of teenage fiction. Outback Ferals works because it feels real. Kyle isn't an action superhero - he's a confused young bloke torn by the pressures of his snooping. Edwards writes a convincing action-thriller that doesn't rely on fireworks, but presents Darwin as a semi-tamed frontier town full of eccentric folk, all bursting with stories. As long as Kyle can keep his head together, win the Darwin Regatta in a boat made of beer cans and keep his limbs out of crocodile jaws, he'll do very well there.

[Hazel Edwards]

NOT FROM THE AUTHOR

These are genuine review comments summarised: (available in full with links on author website)

Centre for Youth Literature: 'An eco-warrior, feral disease conspiracy line runs through.'(PK)
Buzz Words:'...so original I can’t not like it...sure to be a hit - especially with boys.' JM
Amazon: '...a convincing action-thriller ...' Rhys Tate
' Edwards reveals the quirky humour of the Territory through characters .' S.Gervay
Nile ' Outback Ferals works because it feels real. Kyle isn’t an action superhero'.RT
Reading Time: 'Good reading for ages 10-15.' JDA
Curriculum: 'explores the need for strict quarantine security.'
Trendyanya 'I enjoyed reading this book and I reckon anyone interested in the environment would too.'
NSW Assoc for Gifted and TalentedChildren: ' Realistic fiction. Issues of ecology and environment.'