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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'1852
'When the township of Gundagai is devastated by raging floodwaters, two local Wiradjuri men, Yarri and Jacky Jacky, risk their lives to rescue a third of the town's residents in bark canoes on the treacherous Murrumbidgee River.
'Among those saved are James and David Bradley, wealthy settlers. The Bradleys leave for Wagga Wagga, with James’s new bride, Louisa – and Yarri’s daughter, Wagadhaany, their Aboriginal servant, removing her from her beloved family and country. As a Quaker, Louisa’s mission is to help the Wiradjuri people, including Wagadhaany, and the two women develop an unorthodox friendship.
'In Wagga Wagga, Wagadhaany meets Yindyamarra, a young Wiradjuri stockman working for the Bradleys, and they fall deeply in love. They dream of a better life, of children, and of going home, away from the degradation of being owned – and one day, with their young family, they set out on a journey along the river of their ancestors in search of lost family and country – one that will bring hope and heartache.
'Set on timeless Wiradjuri country where the life-giving waters of the rivers can make or break dreams, and based on devastating true events, River of Dreams is an epic story of love, loss and belonging.'
(Source : Simon and Schuster)
Exhibitions
Notes
-
Dedication : 'To all the unsung heroes and heroines who are part of our national story'
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
y
At Home with Anita Heiss
Astrid Edwards
(interviewer),
Melbourne
:
Bad Producer Productions
,
2021
23449892
2021
single work
podcast
interview
'Dr Anita Heiss is an award-winning author of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women’s fiction, children’s novels and blogs. She is a proud member of the Wiradjuri Nation of central New South Wales, an Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, the GO Foundation and Worawa Aboriginal College.
'Her novel Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms, set in Cowra during World War II, was the 2020 University of Canberra Book of the Year. Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray is her second work of historical fiction, and it is the first commercial work published with only Aboriginal language on the cover in Australia.
'Anita is a board member of University of Queensland Press and Circa Contemporary Circus, and is a Professor of Communications at the University of Queensland. As an artist in residence at La Boite Theatre in 2020, Anita began adapting her novel Tiddas for the stage.' (Production introduction)
-
River of Despair : Anita Heiss's New Race-fiction
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Quadrant , September vol. 65 no. 9 2021; (p. 34-37)
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel -
River of Dreams : Anita Heiss’s New Novel
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , June no. 432 2021; (p. 38)
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel 'There are two famous statues in the Gundagai area. One is the Dog on the Tuckerbox. The other is of two heroes, Yarri and Jacky Jacky, who, with other Wiradjuri men, went out in their bark canoes on many exhausting and dangerous forays to rescue an estimated sixty-nine people from the Great Flood of 1852.' (Introduction) -
Anita Heiss, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 22-28 May 2021;
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel'Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray begins in Gundagai in 1852. It is the story of Wagadhaany, a young Wiradyuri woman who is coming of age when a great flood devastates her homeland and community. After the flood, Wagadhaany is taken to Wagga Wagga by a white family who appoint her as their servant under the colonial system. Her family is distraught at her departure but are threatened with the Master and Servant Act should they refuse.' (Introduction)
-
Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss Review – A Mighty and Generous Heartsong
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 21 May 2021;
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel'Heiss’s indelible new novel is at once a joyful love story, a celebration of language, and an invitation to trace the old wounds of our history.'
-
Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss Review – A Mighty and Generous Heartsong
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 21 May 2021;
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel'Heiss’s indelible new novel is at once a joyful love story, a celebration of language, and an invitation to trace the old wounds of our history.'
-
Anita Heiss, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 22-28 May 2021;
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel'Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray begins in Gundagai in 1852. It is the story of Wagadhaany, a young Wiradyuri woman who is coming of age when a great flood devastates her homeland and community. After the flood, Wagadhaany is taken to Wagga Wagga by a white family who appoint her as their servant under the colonial system. Her family is distraught at her departure but are threatened with the Master and Servant Act should they refuse.' (Introduction)
-
River of Dreams : Anita Heiss’s New Novel
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , June no. 432 2021; (p. 38)
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel 'There are two famous statues in the Gundagai area. One is the Dog on the Tuckerbox. The other is of two heroes, Yarri and Jacky Jacky, who, with other Wiradjuri men, went out in their bark canoes on many exhausting and dangerous forays to rescue an estimated sixty-nine people from the Great Flood of 1852.' (Introduction) -
River of Despair : Anita Heiss's New Race-fiction
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Quadrant , September vol. 65 no. 9 2021; (p. 34-37)
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel -
y
At Home with Anita Heiss
Astrid Edwards
(interviewer),
Melbourne
:
Bad Producer Productions
,
2021
23449892
2021
single work
podcast
interview
'Dr Anita Heiss is an award-winning author of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women’s fiction, children’s novels and blogs. She is a proud member of the Wiradjuri Nation of central New South Wales, an Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, the GO Foundation and Worawa Aboriginal College.
'Her novel Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms, set in Cowra during World War II, was the 2020 University of Canberra Book of the Year. Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray is her second work of historical fiction, and it is the first commercial work published with only Aboriginal language on the cover in Australia.
'Anita is a board member of University of Queensland Press and Circa Contemporary Circus, and is a Professor of Communications at the University of Queensland. As an artist in residence at La Boite Theatre in 2020, Anita began adapting her novel Tiddas for the stage.' (Production introduction)
Awards
- 2022 longlisted Indie Awards — Fiction
- 2022 highly commended Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — The Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction
- 2021 shortlisted HNSA Historical Novel Prize — Adult
- Gundagai, Gundagai area, Southeastern NSW, New South Wales,
- Wagga Wagga, Wagga Wagga area, Riverina - Murray area, New South Wales,
- 1850s
