A Heroine from the Illawarra – Rhonda Roberts

There was never any doubt in my mind Kannon Dupree had to be a true Australian heroine: down to earth, courageous and generous. Nor that she would grow up in the Illawarra

Kannon was left for dead when she was two years old. Yuki, the half-Japanese woman that found her, became her adopted mother and brought her to live in the northern suburbs of the Illawarra

A view of Sandon Point where Kannon surfs

The steep Escarpment edging so close to the ocean from Stanwell Park to Sandon Point in Bulli provides a spectacular backdrop to Kannon’s childhood. Though her house is only an hour south of Sydney, she’s a typical Wollongong girl – she’d rather be barefoot and outside more anything else. She grew up exploring the sandstone cliffs of the Escarpment and surfing off Sandon Point. This was the perfect place for her to become the adventurous and dynamic young woman who demands to know the answers to her sad past no matter what the cost.

All fantasy novels should be set here! How beautiful.

The people that populate this dramatic landscape are rich in diverse traditions and history. The local indigenous people have a strong connection to the land, in particular Sandon Point. Because of the coal mining and Port Kembla Steel Works there are diverse immigrant communities who have bought their intriguing traditions with them. There are Wiccans who gather on the cliffs every full moon and fundamentalist Christians who preach on the street corners. There are seedy land developers and corrupt councils with a history of violent murder. Anything can happen here and often does.

It’s a writer’s paradise.

Rhonda Roberts’ first book, Gladiatrix, is now available across Australia and New Zealand. Rhonda lives in the south of Sydney (as you might gather from this post – she certainly knows the area well!) and is working on the next book in the Time Stalker series, Hoodwink.

Visit Rhonda’s website