Riding with Thunderbolt: The Diary of Ben Cross, Northern New South Wales, 1865

This historical adventure, told through Ben Cross's diary entries, plunges readers into the rugged world of 1865 New South Wales. After fleeing his cruel uncle, young Ben finds an unlikely family with the legendary bushranger Thunderbolt and his wife, Mary Ann. As Ben becomes the gang's "cockatoo" or lookout, he navigates the thrilling dangers of raiding cattle stations and mail coaches, while also experiencing the harsh realities of survival in the wilderness. The story explores themes of loyalty, belonging, and the complex choices made by those living outside the law, culminating in a reflection on whether a life of bushranging can truly last. It's a compelling look at a unique period of Australian history through a child's eyes.

The Diary of Ben Cross, Northern NSW, 1865. When Ben Cross runs away from his brutal uncle, he is looking for adventure. But he finds much more than that when he joins the bushranger Thunderbolt and becomes 'cockatoo' - or lookout - for the bushranger's gang. In between raiding cattle stations, inns, stores and mail coaches, Ben befriends Thunderbolt's wife, Mary Ann, helping her in her endless hunt for food and hiding places in the wilderness. But at the end of a year of running from the law, of dramatic rescue and desperate shootouts, both Ben and Thunderbolt know they must give up the bushranging life. If they can ...