One night only with bestselling author Darry Fraser

By Lua Ikenasio

Jan 14, 2025

Darry Fraser’s latest novel, *The Night on the Darling River*. Photo: Supplied.

South Australian author Darry Fraser will be in Echuca on Thursday, January 30, to promote her latest novel, The Night on the Darling River.

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The novel is set in Echuca, 1894, and follows the story of protagonist Tessa Hawthorn as she sets out on a journey to escape an abusive home.

Bestselling Australian author Ms Fraser is known for her Australian historical drama novels, with many being set in towns around the Murray River.

Ms Fraser said her love of the river stemmed from her childhood, when she moved from Melbourne to Swan Hill as a young girl.

“In 1963 we moved to Swan Hill when I was around six years old,” she said.

“For a kid like me, who was new to the area and new to school and because we’d come from the city, I remember seeing the river and I was just completely taken away.

“I have some very happy memories from living in Swan Hill, and the river is a huge part of that.”

Darry Fraser is an Australian bestselling author. Photo: Supplied.

Ms Fraser has always loved stories and has been writing since an early age.

Her novels are feminist-driven narratives that highlight the courage, resilience and spirit of women.

The protagonists’ stories are set against the backdrop of key historical events in Australia, such as the shearers’ strike.

Ms Fraser said in the process of writing her novels, she had learnt a lot about Australia’s rich history.

“Since taking up the writing and deciding to stick with Australian historicals, I’ve come across the most exciting sort of stories that are historical fact,” she said.

“Everything historical that I put in the books is researched and factual, with the correct timelines.

“We learn about history [in school] but we never really know what that felt like, so I try to put us into that setting of what it might’ve felt like at that time.”