Brandon has just graduated from university as a primary school teacher. As he travels to his first teaching post, he wonders what he’s got himself into. From the airplane, the tiny town of Gunnanilla looks no bigger than a cattle station. And when he lands, he steps into heat such as he has never encountered before. Sweating and feeling faint from the extreme temperature, he meets his new boss Mark Petersen, the racist principal of the only school for miles around. Then he meets the school’s other teacher, Mark’s wife Trina, and the students, most of whom are Australian Aborigines. Life in the small town is no picnic. In the summer, the heat is unrelenting. In the wet season, the town is cut off from the outside world and all deliveries are brought to a halt. There is only one television channel. To top it all off, there are any number of poisonous creatures around, such as snakes, scorpions, and spiders. How’s a poor city boy like Brandon, who’s interested in fashion, music, and clubbing and none too confident with his sexuality, going to cope? Enter the handsome, rough-around-the-edges miner, Frank. When Mark warns Brandon that Frank is gay, it seems this town might finally have something to keep him entertained. But how can he meet Frank without drawing attention to his own sexuality? How can anything possibly happen between them in such rough, tough, and macho surroundings?

Desert Country

A knock on the door startled him. He’d had the curtains drawn and hadn’t noticed anyone approaching the room. He got up from his chair and opened the door to find Frank standing there, smiling, as always.


“Morning,” he said. “What ya doing?”


Brandon couldn’t speak for a moment. “What are you…? Um, doing my programmes.”


The information didn’t seem to register. “Want to come for a swim?”


“Kirk and a mate of his from Port Hedland are going out to a waterhole.”


Brandon’s initial thought was to refuse. Those programmes weren’t going to finish themselves. But instead, assuming he was being given a second chance, he said yes.


“Good, grab a towel and let’s get going. They’re waiting over by the pub.”


Brandon grabbed the towel out of the bathroom and hurried to catch up to Frank.


“Frank, I’m sorry about last night,” he said.


“Don’t worry about it,” said Frank. “Forget it.”


Chapter 15