Chapter 32
Pallawarra
Dawn – a pale pink smudge in the sky over Tuggerah’s jagged cliffs. Local tribes are camping in the tangled temperate jungle below, feasting on the forest’s seasonal bounty. Nectar-filled myrtle oranges. Tree fern hearts, good for roasting. Dried manna sap drops, good for satisfying a sweet tooth. And ice-cold creeks, good for escaping the mid-summer heat.
People abandon the valley at the first tang of smoke. They join an assortment of animals marching to the rocky southern ridge tops where fire can’t follow. Wallabies and wombats. Devils scuttle past. A wary thylacine and her mate follow them up the cliff track, maintaining their distance. Sleepy possums brave the day to treetop their way to safety. Steady streams of birds fly ahead of the haze, higher and higher,
