Book Description

It is the 1860s and colonial Australia is no longer just a dumping ground for the pitiful throw-offs of harsh English justice. The colony is rapidly taking on a new identity as a land where opportunities abound for those who are up to the challenge. Many prosper, while others prefer to tramp the endless bush and enjoy what the land has to offer, and still other turn to a life of crime. Into this wild land of rare beauty and constant change comes a quiet young orphan boy named Brennan. He knows nothing of his origins and his only family is an old lady who nurtures him into his teenage years. When she can no longer care for him, he packs a modest swag and a little money and heads into the bush. On the track, he meets up with two old swagmen who quickly become his new family. Tramping the bush tracks, they find many adventures. Set against the backdrop of the beautiful bush, they experience bushfires, floods, droughts, harsh winters, blistering summers, and the kindness and sometimes cruelty of the inhabitants. As he grows, Brennan begins to develop strange mystical powers that come to him in moments of great fear or passion. He is excited and scared at the same time, and he longs to understand his origins and find the source of these mystical powers in the hope that he can learn to master them. This story provides an insight into early Australian colonial history, the land, and its people, as seen through the eyes of a mystical young swagman.