Showing results by narrator "Olivia Beardsley" in All Categories

As she approaches thirty, dedicated nurse Ellie Sutton's life is how she wants it—well, almost. Her younger sister, Carrie, seems to have it all sorted though: a successful hair business, a devoted new boyfriend and a rosy future together. Even Ellie's brother, Bodhi, is settled with his petite, super-chill chef girlfriend, Ingrid. So why does Ellie suddenly give up her career and family for the red dust and toil of an outback cattle station? She's never run from anything before—it's new territory in more ways than one.

It is 1941. Eighteen-year-old Ruby leaves behind the family farm, her serious mother and roguish father and heads for Adelaide. After a brief courtship, she enters into a hasty marriage with a soldier about to go to war - who returns a changed man. With an eyebrow pencil in one hand and gardening shears in the other, Ruby navigates the years doing her duty as a woman, contending with her damaged husband and eccentric in-laws, allowing marriage and motherhood to fill her with purpose and pleasure - and only occasionally wondering, is this all there is?

Who knew overhearing a private conversation would change her life forever? When Kimberley Riordan realises how much trouble her long-time friend Quinn Calthorpe is in, she knows she must find a way to help him. But if Quinn discovers her plan, Kimberley knows he will leave Augathella and lose his cattle station. She enlists the help of her sister, determined to make Quinn fall in love with her, even though she isn't in love with him.

Amelia Foley's parents hoped for a professional career in the city for their only daughter. But she hates city life, and sets off to work as a jillaroo on Kilcoy Station. Local shire building inspector Ben Riley visits Kilcoy to advise Braden Cartwright on a planned expansion. After a run-in with Amelia's sidekick - Chilli, the golden retriever - Ben insists she and her pet come to town to attend the local dog obedience classes. As the jillaroo and the inspector spend more time together, attraction grows quickly.

When Laura Adnum arrives unexpectedly in Augathella to visit the three sons of her deceased sister Julia, it seems she is there to cause trouble. Laura is not impressed that her brother-in-law Braden Cartwright is planning to marry Callie Young. Newly appointed local doctor Harry Higgins is surprised when Laura insists on visiting him to check that the care of her three nephews is adequate. Harry has his own demons and has come to Augathella for peace and a quiet life. Harry is suspicious of Laura's motives. Why has she suddenly decided to visit three nephews she has never met?

Bec Hunter, an Augathella local and nurse at the local hospital, is driven by a strong work ethic and commitment to her career. Working and studying for a Master's degree in dementia leaves her little time for socialising. She has a life plan that does not include a relationship. Travelling guitarist Matt Randall is new to town and doesn't intend to stay long, but his plans are thrown into turmoil when he is injured rescuing a young child, and is admitted to the hospital. Intense chemistry sparks between patient and nurse.

When horticulturist Tarni Morgan takes on a part-time position at the McClaren Mango Farm, it's a chance for a new beginning in the Northern Territory. Hiding a tragic past, Tarni treasures her privacy. She is surprised when the property owners leave on a three-month trip not long after she accepts the position, but is happy to house-sit in their absence. The only downside is Cy Prescott, the relieving manager. As they work together, Tarni begins to realise that Cy holds secrets just as she does, and fights her growing attraction to this taciturn man.

Kindergarten teacher Jacinta Mason is horrified when she attends the hen's night at the local pub for Sophie Cartwright, her future sister-in-law. Meeting Ryder Francesco again leaves her reeling. His new career is a far cry from his past studies in medical research. Jacinta is the last person Ryder expected to encounter on the outback tour with his male dance troupe. Circumstances have changed his life drastically since he had to leave her. Jacinta is torn. The hurt from her past tells her to steer clear of Ryder, but her heart wants to dig deeper and find why he really left

They were best friends who never meant to fall in love - but for one of them, it was already too late. Willow 'Banjo' Paterson and Tom Forrest were raised on neighbouring cattle stations in the heart of the Kimberley. But as young adults, something came between them that Willow cannot forget. Now 10 years have passed since she's spoken to Tom. When her father falls ill, Willow is called home to run the family property - but her vision for a sustainable organic cattle station is proving hard to achieve. She needs Tom's help, but is it too late to make amends?

After a year apart, Maryanne returns to her husband, Roy, bringing their eight-year-old son, Daniel, and his teenage sister, Freya, with her. The family move from Sydney to Newcastle, where Roy has bought a derelict house on the coast. As Roy painstakingly patches the holes in the floorboards and plasters over cracks in the walls, Maryanne believes, for a while, that they can rebuild a life together. But Freya doesn't want a fresh start - she just wants out - and Daniel drifts around the sprawling, run-down house in a dream, infuriating his father, who soon forgets the promises he has made.

Freya ‘Free’ Paterson has finally come back home. She’s landed the job of her dreams working on an art project with the local school, but she hadn't planned on meeting the man of her dreams as well. With his irresistible Irish accent, Constable Finn Kelly is everything Free wants - genuine, kind...and handsome as hell. He's also everything Free isn’t - stable and dependable. Yet despite the passion simmering between them, he just wants to be friends. What is he trying to hide?

Coming together for a writing workshop with bestselling author Jan Goldstein, four strangers converge upon a luxury forest retreat. But along with their notepads and laptops, each of the participants has brought some emotional baggage. Beth is a solo parent and busy career woman haunted by a tragic car accident. Simone, the youngest at 26, is a successful Instagram star but she's hiding behind a façade. Jamie is the only man. He's a handsome personal trainer - but he looks out of place with a pen in his hand. Finally, Alice is a wife and mum recovering from post-natal depression.

When a man is found gruesomely murdered in the local pub, all fingers point to the backpackers working behind the bar that night—two American girls who skipped town before the body was discovered. Despite all the evidence against them, rookie cop Tara Harrison knows there must be more to this case than a pair of sorority sisters who couldn't take a joke. She's determined to uncover the truth, and is soon on the trail of a devastating secret that could tear her hometown apart.

When entomologist Emlyn Rees arrives at Hidden Valley she wants nothing more than to escape her marriage breakdown by burying herself in the research team's hunt for new species of insects in the depths of the dramatic Undara lava tubes. Travis Carlyle is initially resistant to letting some city folks tramp over his cattle station, though the researchers' findings bring opportunities to turn around his struggling farm. But when things start going wrong for the farm and around the dig site, Emlyn and Travis are at a loss to understand why.

At age fifteen, Evie is uprooted from the familiar embrace of her small-town life, leaving behind her father and childhood sweetheart, Chris. The year is 1977, and her new home in North Queensland becomes the canvas for her rebellious awakening, a place where the mixture of sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll paints the backdrop to her newfound independence.

In the small town of Matfield in outback Queensland, Elsie embarks on a fresh chapter of her life, leaving behind the shadows of a tough upbringing and a challenging neighbourhood. As she steps into her role as a teacher, the complexities of her past give way to the promise of exciting new beginnings. When she meets Matt, a rugged fencing contractor, a connection forms and a tentative friendship unfolds. Both carry responsibilities towards their families, and soon find they share similar interests.

Roisin O'Byrne, a young lawyer with a passion for protecting the Darling River where her family has lived for almost two hundred years, finds herself embroiled in a battle. Her commitment to environmental justice pits her against formidable adversaries within the corporate landscape, working with her enigmatic boss Seth Brodie. As her family continue their quest to uncover the history of the settlement of Ceann Mara and the hidden life of one of its first settlers, Samuel O'Byrne, Roisin plunges deeper into the murky waters of corporate interests and corruption.

When Amy takes up her first teaching position in an outback Queensland town she feels like her life is going ahead in leaps and bounds. However, her new boss doesn't make life easy and she begins to question her choice of career. Angus, a third-generation local, also struggles with life in the small town. A mistake made in his youth haunts him and stops him from letting anyone get too close. As the two become friends and hostilities within the small town come to a head, Amy and Angus are faced with decisions that could take them in an unknown direction.

Thriving on structure and organisation, Lachie's life is a tapestry of travel, surf and sea. Working and living in the breathtaking Whitsunday Islands, he finds solace in the ocean's embrace. But when carefree Irish traveller Kat crosses his path, he senses a disruption looming - a whirlwind of chaos where she treads. Kat's arrival in Australia prompts playful jokes from her family about husband-hunting, yet her desires lie in travel, work and the simple joys of life. Romance is merely a distant possibility if fate allows it.

Following her grandmother's death and mysterious legacy, nomadic artist Piper Thorne embarks on a mission to reclaim a stolen family treasure and right a wrong. But rugged adversary and private investigator Ben Powell is not the only thing standing in her way.