The Washerwoman's Dream

A beloved Australian outback classic

The epic true story of the indomitable Winifred Steger and her extraordinary life in 19th century outback Australia.

Winifred Steger travelled to Australia with her father in the 1880s when he took up a land grant in north Queensland. The grant proved to be worthless, and faced with poverty, endless backbreaking work and isolation, Winifred's father spiralled into depression and alcoholism.

Left to fend for herself, Winifred battled insurmountable odds to maintain her dignity and sanity, finding solace in writing to ease her hardship. Fleeing an abusive marriage also meant the heartbreak of abandoning her four children – but then miraculously she found love with an Indian trader, Ali. Together with their children, they moved to outback Australia where they ran a camel line. A new phase began in Winifred's life, taking her to places she had only ever dreamed of.

The Washerwoman's Dream is the story of a remarkable woman with a tenacious spirit, and is now an enduring Australian classic. Pieced together by Hilarie Lindsay from Winifred’s memoirs, short stories, letters and unpublished novels, this is an account of the amazing life of a forgotten Australian writer.

About the Author

Throughout her distinguished career as an author, Hilarie Lindsay has published more than twenty books across a range of genres including short stories, poetry, fiction, children’s, non-fiction and a full-length play. Her first published work was in The Grenfell Record after winning The Grenfell Prose award in 1966 and 1967. She is a past president of the Society of Women Writers and was awarded the MBE for services to literature in 1975 and followed it up with an OAM in 2006. As well as her writing career, Hilarie has run her family’s toy company, A.L Lindsay & Co, in Leichhardt, Sydney, for more than 40 years and was the first woman president of the Toy & Games Manufacturers of Australia.