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

“It costs too much to get down there.”


“Yeah, but I don’t want to spend it all on transport.” He laughed for effect. “I’m going back next time, though, and then at Christmas. The Education Department will pay for my flight down.”


“You’re lucky. I had to pay my way up and my way back.”


Brandon swallowed half the contents of his glass in one go. “Why areyou here? I’ve been wondering what a girl from Claremont is doing in a place like this.”


“Darling, I’m going for a trip around Europe with my best friend, Tasha. Money’s got to come from somewhere.”


“I thought your parents were loaded.”


“They are. Do you know my family owns a castle in Scotland?”


“Yeah, I did know that, actually,” Brandon replied sarcastically.


“Oh! You!” huffed Katy as she flicked Brandon with her tea towel. “Anyway, as I was saying, Daddy’s matching every dollar I earn, so I want to earn a lot. You know me, I certainly won’t be slumming it. Only the best for me, darling.”


Chapter 17