A river runs through it: Author Darry Fraser’s journey from paddle steamers to page turners

Words: Laura Dare courtesy Coast Lines magazine

At her home on the Fleurieu Peninsula, where the mighty Murray meets the sea, best-selling author Darry Fraser finds herself exactly where she wants to be.

“Way back in the 60s, I was living in the mid-Murray at Swan Hill, and now I am living in this most beautiful area at Goolwa, the mouth of the Murray, and I’m as entranced as I was when I was a kid,” she says. “Something led me by the nose, and I’ve landed in Goolwa, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Darry Fraser is one of Australia's most beloved historical fiction authors, and the Murray is the muse that inspires much of her writing, running through her tales of adventure, love, mystery and mayhem that have captivated so many readers at home and abroad.

Darry’s love for storytelling began early. “I was always writing. I've been writing little stories since I actually learned to handwrite,” she says. Her move as a child from Melbourne to Swan Hill on the banks of the Murray was a pivotal moment in her life.

The sight of an old paddle steamer moored for restoration and a recreated 19th-century settlement sparked her imagination: “I was probably eight years old, and I still remember this as clear as day … suddenly a whole world opened up for me. It was almost like I’d time travelled.”

From that point on, she knew she was destined to explore the stories of Australia’s most iconic river and the lives of the people swept up in those tales, during the nineteenth century.

“At the ripe old age of my early 20s, I decided to write the greatest novel known to man, and very long story short, 33 years later, it became Daughter of the Murray, my first book published with HarperCollins Australia in 2016,” Darry says.

The slightly longer version is that it wasn’t until she was in her 50s that she decided it was “now or never” and started to take her writing seriously. That decision – and the hard work that followed – has led to ten books published by HarperCollins, a thriving career, and a dedicated reader base.

One of the hallmarks of Darry’s stories is her portrayal of women. “People often ask me at book readings whether my female protagonists are ‘strong’ or ‘ahead of their time’, but to me, they’re very much typical women of their time,” she says.

When the question arises, she tells her audience, “every one of you sitting here today would have a counterpart 150 or 200 years ago. Would you consider yourself a strong woman or just someone getting on with what needs to be done within the constraints of your society?”

“Human nature doesn't change. We might have been disadvantaged by the law or society back then, but we weren’t beaten down to nothing. We did have a voice.”

While Darry’s novels always feature a relationship between her female protagonist and a good bloke, as well as a ‘happy for now’ ending, they’re much more than just romances.

Darry says her novels bring together action, adventure and political stress during the nineteenth century, “when things were vastly different. When I started writing, that was really appealing to me, and it still is,” she says.

Each of her novels has a backdrop of historical fact and her stories imagine the lives of ordinary people within extraordinary historical contexts.

“History notes that something happened, but it doesn't note the trauma or the drama that was associated with it for the little Jo Blogs, who was on the ground at the time,” she says. “We assume it was awful, but the real feeling of what it was like for the people living through it comes when the novelist gets a hold of it.”

The historical accuracy of her novels is something Darry takes very seriously. Her new release, The Night on the Darling River, is no exception, immersing readers in the harsh realities of nineteenth-century life and a story of survival against the odds.

The book follows Tessa, a woman fleeing an abusive marriage, who finds herself on a paddle steamer heading upstream in the dead of night – only to discover her husband is also on board.

“She gets caught up in the burning of the PS Rodney, and we follow her story as she reclaims herself and her life,” Darry says.

Although Darry jokes that her income as a writer won’t be funding, “a penthouse overlooking Sydney Harbour,” anytime soon, she’s very happy with where she’s ended up - earning an income from her passion in life.

Her schedule as a full-time writer starts with an early morning walk with her ‘wonder dog’, Hamish, before settling in with him at her feet for work in her office.

“Whether I'm researching, writing, doing social media, or marketing, that's just how it falls each day. Seven days out of seven, I’m at the computer doing something related to writing – but I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Visit darryfraser.com for all the news about Darry Fraser’s latest releases and book tours.

WIN your own signed copy of Darry's book 'The Night on the Darling River' on the Fleurieu App's WIN page here