It’s hard not to be inspired by this place – a little corner of bushland between the Noosa River and the North Shore beach. There are no chic shops or must-do restaurants on this side of the river. It’s all about dirt tracks, deserted beaches, boats, bikes and unexpected encounters – kangaroos boxing on the neighbour’s lawn, trees growing out of abandoned trucks and snakes turning up in odd places. One joined me on my deck chair while I was engrossed in a novel. I’ve never got out of a chair so fast before! 
The North Shore was the setting for my first series for young readers – Hazard River (Ford Street Publishing, 2010). It also found its way into my most recent book for tweens – the Choose Your Own Ever After story – How To Get To Rio (HGE, 2014).
Now, those tea tree swamps are getting into my head again. And who knows where they’ll take me.
Julie Fison 