Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin was born in Talbingo in central New South Wales, in 1879. Her parents belonged to the "Squattocracy" - Europeans who lived off the land because they were the only ones there, but had no land rights. She wrote her first novel in her teens - My Brilliant Career -and it was hailed as the 'first great Australian novel', it could only be written by someone who lived and breathed Australian life. She was committed to writing in a distinctively Australian style. Similarly, "Up The Country" is a tale about mid-19th-century pioneer families in New South Wales and is characterised by authenticity. Reading it, we live and breathe the pioneer life, the challenges and benefits of community and the harshness of the environment. There are disasters and difficulties but there are also picnics, dances and other enjoyable experiences, in amongst the raising of cattle, mining camps and lush natural wonders of Australia.