Anthony Trollope is famous for his sprawling, witty novels about English society and politics. So, a book he wrote about a sheep farmer in the Australian bush feels like a fascinating detour. He wrote it after visiting his son, who was a sheep farmer in New South Wales. You can tell he was captivated by the raw, harsh beauty of the place and the tough lives of the people who tried to tame it.

The Story

Harry Heathcote is a young Englishman who owns Gangoil, a massive sheep station in Queensland. He's worked incredibly hard to build it up, but he's not exactly popular. He's strict with his workers, suspicious of his neighbors (the "Brownbies" and the "Medlicots"), and convinced they're all out to get him. As a brutal drought tightens its grip, the threat of bushfires becomes constant. When fires start breaking out suspiciously close to his land, Harry's paranoia explodes into full-blown certainty: he's being targeted in a campaign of arson. The story follows his desperate, often reckless attempts to protect Gangoil, save his sheep, and prove his enemies guilty, all while his marriage strains under the pressure.

Why You Should Read It

Forget London fog—the real star here is the Australian landscape. Trollope makes you feel the oppressive heat, the crackle of dry grass, and the terrifying speed of a bushfire. Harry is a brilliantly frustrating hero. You admire his grit, but you also want to shake him for his arrogance and quickness to judge. The book asks great questions: Is Harry a visionary protecting what's his, or is he an outsider creating his own enemies through pride? The side characters, especially his more easygoing brother-in-law and the sensible neighbor Mrs. Medlicot, provide a much-needed reality check against Harry's single-minded fury.

Final Verdict

This is a perfect pick for someone who loves classic authors but wants a change of scenery. It's short, paced almost like a mystery, and packed with atmosphere. You don't need to know anything about sheep farming to get sucked into the human drama of a man at war with his environment and his community. If you enjoy stories about obsession, frontier life, or complex characters who are their own worst enemies, you'll find a lot to chew on here. It's a compelling, lesser-known side of Trollope that proves a great story can happen anywhere, even in the dust and flames of the outback.