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Riding with Thunderbolt: The Diary of Ben Cross is a historical fiction book written by Allan Baillie. It is the thirteenth book in the My Australian Story series. The book was first published in April 2004 and republished in July 2013 with new cover art. It was followed by Peter Allen's Our Don Bradman.

Book description[]

"When Ben Cross runs away from his brutal uncle, he is looking for adventure. But he finds much more than that when he joins the bushranger Thunderbolt and becomes 'cockatoo'–or lookout–for the bushranger's gang.
In between raiding cattle stations, inns, stores and mail coaches, Ben befriends Thunderbolt's wife, Mary Ann, helping in her endless hunt for food and hiding places in the wilderness.
But at the end of a year of running from the law, of dramatic rescue and desperate shootouts, both Ben and Thunderbolt know they must give up the bushranging life.
If they can...
"

"I looked over my shoulder and saw a black stallion heading my way. There was a man riding the stallion and he was familiar somehow. As he got closer I could see a small child on the saddle in front of him...
When Ben Cross runs away from his brutal uncle, he is looking for adventure. But he finds much more than that when he joins the bushranger Thunderbolt and becomes 'cockatoo'—or lookout—for the bushranger's gang.
But at the end of a year of dramatic rescues and desperate shootouts, both Ben and Thunderbolt know they must give up the bushranging life if the can...
"

Plot[]

Historical Note[]

Characters[]

Main article: List of Riding with Thunderbolt characters
  • Ben Cross

Author[]

Main article: Allan Baillie

Editions[]

Notes[]

  • The background on the cover of the first edition is a photograph, Holtermann shooting party camp in bush, from the State Library, New South Wales.[4]
  • The cover of the second edition uses photos by Keith Reicher and Cynthia Baldauf from iStock.[5]

References[]

  1. http://www.wheelersbooks.com.au/books/9781865045801
  2. http://www.wheelersbooks.com.au/product/9781741699104
  3. https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00U6QKA0S/
  4. Riding with Thunderbolt, Allan Baillie, copyright page
  5. Riding with Thunderbolt (ISBN 9781741699104), Allan Baillie, copyright page

See also[]


My Australian Story
Original

A Banner Bold | Plagues and Federation | A Tale of Two Families | Surviving Sydney Cove | The Rum Rebellion
The Yankee Whaler | A Different Sort of Real | Who Am I? | On Board the Boussole | The Bombing of Darwin
Fords and Flying Machines | Snowy | Riding with Thunderbolt | Our Don Bradman | A Marathon of Her Own
Our Enemy, My Friend

1st relaunch

New Gold Mountain | Outback | Cyclone Tracy | Refugee | The Melting Pot | Archer's Melbourne Cup
Claw of the Dragon | Atomic Testing

2nd relaunch

The Hunt for Ned Kelly | The Phar Lap Mystery | My Father's War | Sydney Harbour Bridge | Heroes of Tobruk
Escape from Cockatoo Island | Gallipoli | Kokoda | Convict Girl | Vietnam

3rd relaunch

Black Sunday | Our Race for Reconciliation | Bushfire | Rebellion at Eureka | Castle Hill Rebellion | Six Seconds
The Battle for Victoria Street

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