In 1987, my family and I moved to the picturesque township of Mudgeeraba, nestled in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, in the Gold Coast Hinterland. It was a countryside of rolling hills, of lush greenness and the village centre was dotted with quaint old-fashioned buildings. It was a place that seemed caught in a time warp, and it reminded me of the past, of country towns, and seemed incongruous on the edges of what was, and still is, the sprawling metropolis that is the Gold Coast.
I was curious about the history of the area however there were no publications available. So I set out to research and write a local history. I read local histories of other areas, studying the techniques that made them interesting and readable. Tentatively I started writing, trying to establish my own ‘voice.’ Dairies & Daydreams was born in December 1989, the result of six (extremely) concentrated months of research and writing. Subjects included in the book are the Aborigines, early explorers and pastoralists, the first settlers, transport and agriculture, local government and community buildings, amongst others. Locally, the book has been well received and somehow news of it travels wide, with interstate bookshops often phoning for info on how to obtain a copy for a customer. Locals often tell me they send copies overseas to friends and relatives. It also gives me great satisfaction to say that all the local schools use the book as a base for local history studies. Cheers... Robyn Burrows
© Robyn Burrows - 2000
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