'Planning to stay for ten years before returning to Devon, William Whitburn brings his wife and six children from England to the virgin forests of South Gippsland. In 1877 the family make their way on foot along a muddy track through the dense and towering forest to their new home, a wooden hut with an earthen floor in a small clearing. With only axes and saws, William Whitburn and his older sons cut down the huge trees of the ancient forest to clear the land for cattle and sheep. But 13-year-old Simon is fascinated by the forest and its creatures, particularly a pair of lyrebirds and their chicks.'
Source: Mavis Thorpe Clark fansite (http://www.mavisthorpeclark.com.au/books/blue_above_the_trees.shtml). (Sighted: 28/5/2014)
