Welcome to Tallebudgera Creek, stop no. 9 on my Books By The Beach tour!
Tallebudgera Creek is by far one of my FAVOURITE spots here on the Gold Coast. Where I am sitting in this video is on the Burleigh National Park side of the creek. Here there is a small, quiet beach, and I love to come here on a weekday when the crowds have gone and read a book or do some writing. Sitting on the sand, you can smell the rich aromas from the australian native plants and trees just behind you.
By hang on, you say. This is Books By The Beach, not Books By The Creek!
Let me explain…
Tallebudgera is best known for its sparkling creek which is framed by the Burleigh Heads National Park on one side and Palm Beach on the other. However, this popular beach destination starts its journey further inland, from the Springbrook Plateau below Burleigh Mountain in the Springbrook National Park near Upper Tallebudgera, and north of the New South Wales/Queensland border. The creek flows generally north by east through the Tallebudgera Valley towards Burleigh Heads before reaching its mouth, south of the Burleigh Head National Park, and emptying into the Coral Sea. The creek descends 100 metres (330 ft) over its 25-kilometre (16 mi) course.
Tallebudgera Creek is known for good fishing, and its name even translates in an indigenous language to “good fishing”. Bream, flathead, whiting and even bull sharks call the creek home. Camping, swimming, picnicking, and kayaking are other popular activities amongst visitors.
While the waters in the creek are renowned for their relative calm, the surf waves are within walking distance at nearby Tallebudgera Beach.
In this post I’m going to share with you about my book The Wilted Rose.
The Wilted Rose is the story of one Australian family’s struggle with mental illness during the 1960s and 70s. The story depicts the rise and fall of ambitious young woman Sarah Ross, whose pursuit of a nursing career in the 1950s is challenged by tradition and religion. After Sarah’s mental health deteriorates, her dedicated husband Jack adopts the role of her carer, and their daughter Grace must survive adolescence through great adversity, before their family finally receive a definitive diagnosis for Sarah’s condition. The Wilted Rose is a moving story of passion, heartache, and unbreakable family bonds.
I started working on this book around the age of eighteen, and published it at twenty one. I held a launch for the first edition at the Suited To Success office in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, attended by several of my friends and family. The first print run of the book, which consisted of fifty copies, sold out quickly.
I held another launch for the revised edition in August 2012 at the now closed Black Cat Books and Cafe in Paddington. Guests at this book launch included representatives from various community groups associated with the book’s subject matter, including mental health organisations and local historical societies.
PLEASE NOTE: At the end of this video there is information about purchasing The Wilted Rose on Amazon. My books are not currently available on Amazon. Instead you can download a PDF version of the first chapter for FREE HERE:
If you live in Australia, I can post you a signed paperback copy of The Wilted Rose. Simply send me a message via the Contact page.
Kate Kelsen 