{"id":110,"date":"2011-01-02T16:29:13","date_gmt":"2011-01-02T21:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/johnhocking.net\/wordpressdemo\/?page_id=110"},"modified":"2024-12-27T12:52:11","modified_gmt":"2024-12-27T12:52:11","slug":"a-map-of-farwell-creek","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/?page_id=110","title":{"rendered":"A Map of Farwell Creek"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I started to write this book, I had a vision in my head of Farwell Creek, based on the town of Bowenville, where I grew up. But the Creek isn’t Bowenville, so I decided very early in the writing process that I was going to have to map it out. I’m no artist, but everyone in the bush knows how to draw a ‘mud map<\/a>‘.<\/p>\n

I started with the main road and the pub – the two most important features in any bush town. As I introduced the characters in the book, I gave them homes… BUT…<\/p>\n

Every book goes through a process of writing and re-writing. I quickly realised that I needed Bec to be able to see the school from her house. The answer – I moved the school. Likewise, the garage shifted to the other end of town… for a scene which I later edited out of the book.<\/p>\n

In the drawing – the blue sketch is the original… the pink bits are the corrections I made about two months into writing the book.<\/p>\n

\"Janet's<\/a><\/p>\n

As I continued to live in Farwell Creek with Bec and Hailey and Nick, the town became so firmly fixed in my mind, that I didn’t need to keep updating the map. So – webmaster John read the final text and came up with a true map of Farwell Creek – as it really is according to the book.<\/p>\n

It’s quite some way from my original – but what did not change was the nature of the town and the people who live there. As someone once said of me – you can take the girl out of the bush, but you can’t take the bush out of the girl. Moving the occasional house will never change the nature of a bush town – or the people who live there.<\/p>\n

\"Map
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

KEY<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
1<\/td>\nChurch<\/td>\n7<\/td>\nPost Office<\/td>\n13<\/td>\nBaxter House<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nTeacher’s Cottage<\/td>\n8<\/td>\nPolice Station<\/td>\n14<\/td>\nPrice Farm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nSchool<\/td>\n9<\/td>\nShop<\/td>\nBall Site<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nO’Connell House<\/td>\n10<\/td>\nFeed Store<\/td>\nA<\/td>\nStage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nTate House<\/td>\n11<\/td>\nFarwell Creek Hotel<\/td>\nB<\/td>\nSouvenirs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\nGarage<\/td>\n12<\/td>\nRyan House<\/td>\nC<\/td>\nRefreshments<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n