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So Big the Land

As a tender young townie in the revolutionary sixties, Sue steps away from all that is familiar to spend her life with a man she has known for three weeks, and with little prelude is thrown into the deep-end of a gritty farming life in a man’s world.

A life of hard work on untamed lands, a two year odyssey through the Outback, and months spent in a remote Aboriginal community reveal to Sue the very character of the Australian landscape.

This is the story of one woman’s metamorphosis from timid, imaginative child to resilient worldly woman – a profound journey of self-discovery through tragedy, life-threatening adventure, and overwhelming joy.

Sue Grocke lives in the Barossa Valley – a wine growing region of South Australia. For most of her life, she has farmed with her husband, but interspersed with this has been overseas travel and the outback wayfaring that delights and inspires her. Her two children and their families are a shining light in her life. She began writing poetry and short stories at an early age.

Some of her awards include:

FAWQ Toowoomba Literary Awards 2014 – Highly Commended Poem: ‘Waiting Watching Listening’. Included in Anthology ‘Northern Light’.

Rolf Boldrewood Literary Awards 2016 – Highly Commended Poem: ‘Beneath the Stars of Mother Country’.

Poetica Christi Press Annual Poetry Competition 2017 – Special Mention Poem: ‘Sleeping in Sturt’s Stony Desert’. Included in Anthology ‘Wonderment’.

Visit Sue’s Website