From Billabong to London
From Billabong to London is mainly about a sea voyage half-way around the world. Travelling such distances was by sea before there were passenger air services like we have now.
On the ‘Billabong’ cattle station. Jim, now assisting his father, breaks in a promising young colt. With Norah and Wally, he helps with the intricacies of hauling a large bullock from the depths of a mud hole. But World War I is underway, and Jim and Wally want to enlist. Mr Linton needs to travel to London on family business.
So they all set sail on the Perseus, a huge ocean liner carrying produce to Europe, to involve themselves in the war effort. On board, the party observe black-out restrictions to avoid being detected at night by enemy destroyers. They also deal with a German spy. The Lintons have an all too interesting time during their stopover in Durban, South Africa.
Then their ship is captured by an enemy warship and is almost sunk before a dramatic rescue, eventually allowing them to reach London safely where the boys enlist in the British Army. (At that time, all Australians were British subjects and there was no additional legal concept of citizenship, which came later.)
The Trustee of The Mary Grant Bruce Family Trust owns the extant copyrights to this story.
First Published in: 1915
First Publisher: Ward, Lock & Co. Limited
Places First Published: London, Melbourne and Toronto