"A mystery man with pistols, a married lady not so much fat as expecting, a senorita who might not be Spanish at all."
The year is 1874. The Cobb and Co coach must make sure the mail gets to the train on time. The coach is travelling at night from Braidwood in NSW to Goulburn. This night ride costs each passenger double the day time rate. It's a fourteen hour journey over rough roads and so it is very uncomfortable. People take this ride because they want to catch the train to Sydney and the train will not wait. The coach must arrive in Goulburn on time. Jem is the coach driver's son and onboard are a very odd assortment of characters. A young Chinese man; a large-sized lady and her husband - Mr and Mrs Pickles; two Spanish sisters who are performers; and a man with a huge carpet bag and those two pistols. This man calls himself John Smith and he demands and pays to ride up front with the driver and his son. The coach is set to go with six passengers and those all important mail bags.
It's a night journey and its a rush. There are plenty of hazards along the way - floods, fog, fallen trees, rivers to cross, kangaroos not to mention the possibility of bushrangers. When Paw is hurt Jem has to take over the driving of the coach which has five strong horses. This is a huge challenge for Jem but he is in for other surprises - a baby and, as you have guessed, a bushranger.
As usual Jackie French brings Australian history to life. I especially loved the river crossing scene when they discover the Shoalhaven River is higher than expected and the bridge has not yet been built. In this scene the passengers have to climb out of the coach. The men take off their clothes down to their "woollen combinations, buttoned up ... and reaching to their wrists and ankles." Luggage, mail and the women are loaded into a large wooden washtub. Paw and Jem lead the horses carefully across the river. They need to make several trips with the washtub and remember it is night and the water is cold and those women are wearing long skirts and layers of petticoats.
The back of the book has detailed history notes and two poems by Henry Lawson. This book will be an excellent, indeed I think it is an essential, addition to every Australian Primary school library. Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy of this book which is due out tomorrow.
The only thing I would have liked to see with this book is a map. Here is one I found and also a photo of a Cobb and Co coach.
You will want to find other books about bushrangers from the Gold Rush era. There will be lots of books about Ned Kelly but there were many other famous bushrangers. You are sure to find some of these books in most Primary school libraries:
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