Ryders Ridge

Travel Guide

From big city life and a bustling hospital, Daniella Bell enjoys this place and her work which many would find scary but which she feels as if she can make a difference. So when something happens to jolt her out of her comfortable existence a new start and an escape  is what she needs.

Ryders Ridge is a whole new experience – remote in North West Queensland and small and a complete change to what she is used to. For a start, its not much more than a one doctor town. It is is a far- from- nearly-everywhere town and at times the feelings of homesickness do kick in.

This new life, in Ryders Ridge is new in every aspect not least the landscape –

The Mitchell Grass country ran all the way to the horizon, across ditches and fossil rich rises, punctuated only by scrappy trees , fences and cattle.

Against this Mitchell grass is the large and looming outback sky, which overlooks everything in the small town below. The rodeos and cowboys, the rural way of life, the work of a rural doctor compared to a town one although the problem of funding and supplies seems to know no boundaries.

Life in a cattle ranch is fascinating. Mark has trouble trying to make a profit and its a tough life to lead . But this is his place in the world –

“He squinted at the pink-sky horizon which made the soil blush and the grass turn grey…
…this was his family’s place and it always would be.”

With both Daniella and Mark finding their place in Ryders Ridge, the scene is set for an emotional journey in the middle of this small town, two people go on a very emotional journey.