Series Placement: The Tides Cycle Begins Here.
Jandarri: The Last Walkabout
The Tides Cycle Begins Here. A companion novella introducing one of the most important figures in The Tides Cycle. This story reveals the origins of Jandarri’s journey, a path shaped by loss, tradition, and the harsh beauty of the land he calls home.
Description
Jandarri: The Last Walkabout is the powerful prequel to The Tides Cycle, telling the story of the man whose courage, wisdom, and endurance will one day shape the destiny of generations. Set across the vast landscapes of nineteenth‑century Australia, it is a tale of belonging, love, loss, survival, and the devastating collision between ancient cultures and an expanding colonial world.
The story begins in the Kimberley, where a young Aboriginal man named Jandarri undertakes a traditional walkabout, leaving his people to seek knowledge and understanding beyond the boundaries of home. Guided by the teachings of his elders and the wisdom of Country, he travels alone through rugged terrain and sacred places. Along the way, he discovers strange yellow stones exposed by floodwaters and hides them beneath a lightning‑scarred boab tree, unaware that the find will one day help transform the future of the region.
During his journey, Jandarri rescues an orphaned dingo pup from a damaged den. What begins as reluctant charity grows into deep companionship. Naming the pup Marrngu, he gains a loyal friend whose courage repeatedly proves invaluable. Their bond becomes one of the emotional foundations of the novella.
As Jandarri ventures farther from his homeland, he meets Yalika, a young woman from a desert people living beyond the borders of his own Country. Despite differences in language and tradition, an immediate connection forms between them. Through patience, respect, and shared experience, their relationship deepens into love. Their families eventually accept the union, allowing Jandarri and Yalika to build a life together between two worlds.
The following years bring happiness and belonging. They travel between the lands of both families and create a home shaped by Kimberley and desert alike. Their son, Binarra, is born, and Marrngu remains at their side as protector and beloved companion. Yet beneath this peace lies a growing unease. Strange footprints appear on familiar tracks. Marrngu grows restless. Evidence suggests that white men are following their movements, and what first seems chance soon reveals itself as deliberate pursuit.
The turning point comes beside a remote waterhole. A group of armed white men approach under the pretence of seeking water. Trusting ancient customs of hospitality, Jandarri allows them near. The deception is swift and brutal. The strangers overpower him, attack his family, and carry out a carefully planned abduction. Marrngu fights fiercely to defend them, but the outcome is devastating. Yalika and Binarra are lost, and Jandarri is taken captive by men acting on behalf of powerful interests who see human lives as commodities.
The final chapters follow Jandarri’s forced march across Australia toward the coast. Bound, grief‑stricken, and carrying the unbearable weight of loss, he endures humiliation, captivity, and uncertainty. Along the way, he overhears fragments of conversation hinting at a larger conspiracy, one involving wealth, influence, international connections, and a mysterious destination awaiting him across the sea.
The novella ends aboard the merchant vessel The Resolute, where Jandarri is imprisoned in a hidden cell deep within the ship. As the vessel departs Australia and disappears into the darkness of the open ocean, he is carried away from everything he has ever known. Behind him lies his homeland, his family, and the life stolen from him. Ahead lies slavery, survival, and a destiny far greater than he can imagine.
Rich in Australian landscape, culture, history, and emotional depth, Jandarri: The Last Walkabout is both a moving standalone story and the essential foundation of The Tides Cycle. It explores identity, belonging, cultural survival, family, friendship, colonial violence, and resilience—and introduces the remarkable man whose courage and endurance will become central to everything that follows.
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