Walsh, Jennifer

Jennifer Walsh grew up in a country town, the youngest of three girls. 'When we weren't jumping off haystacks we were reading. Our father read aloud to us, starting with Great Expectations and Black Beauty and proceeding to stories he made up himself.' She became a teacher, later worked in the theatre for many years, then 'accidentally' became a writer of computer user guides, a job that took her around the world. Jennifer lives in Balmain with her husband, actor Bruce Spence, and a tortoiseshell cat. The Tunnels of Tarcoola was inspired by the abandoned coalmines that really do exist under much of Balmain.;