The Wild Wests and the Haunted Fridge: Part 1

By JOY COWLEY, Illustrator TREVOR PYE

Mum and Dad were spending a week of the school holidays in Australia with their golf clubs while I stayed with my cousins the Wests.

Being with the West gang would normally have been great. Terrific.

But compared with Australia? The Sydney Harbour Bridge, the zoo with kangaroos and snakes and koalas in gum trees? Land of 'Waltzing Matilda', gidday mate and how's your boomerang? I wanted to go too.

"What would you do while we were golfing?" Dad asked.
"Learn to play the didgeridoo," I told them.
"Very funny, Michael," said Mum.

"I mean it. I've always wanted to play a didgeridoo. I could go to the zoo. Go surfing. Hunt for opals. I bet there are heaps of things to do in Sydney."

"The only opals are in expensive shops," sniffed Dad. "Ask your mother. She knows all about opal hunting."

"You'll find plenty to do at Aunt Rose and Uncle Leo's," said Mum.

Publisher: HarperCollins, $12.95

Age group: 8-12 years