I’ve always loved Australian poetry, especially the works of Les Murray and James McAuley. Downing is a contemporary poet who brings a female sensibility to her poems which gave me great pleasure. They allude to classics like Bert Facey’s A Fortunate Life, or remember familiar moments such as eating vinegar chips at the beach or encountering Christmas beetles. There’s a rich panorama of Australian life here, yet the learning that underpins it ensures it’s never provincial. Sensitive, humorous and thoroughly recommended.