Walkabout by Charles and Elsa Chauvel

Walkabout by Charles Chauvel and Elsa Chauvel is a novelisation of their landmark Australian film Walkabout, which was directed by Nicolas Roeg. The story follows two young siblings—a teenage girl and her younger brother—who are stranded in the remote Australian outback after a family crisis. Struggling to survive in an unfamiliar and harsh environment, they encounter an Aboriginal boy on his traditional “walkabout,” a rite of passage involving a journey through the wilderness. Through this meeting, the novel explores themes of survival, cultural difference, and communication beyond language, as the children gradually learn to rely on the land and on their guide’s knowledge.