DINOCROC

By Rose E Siva

'Will the rescue beacon save us?' wondered Josh...

Josh goes out on work experience to far inland Australia in the Cooper Oil Basin and meets an eccentric retired professor who is in search of a

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rose Siva
• Release date: Mar 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9780645093537

Rose E Siva

Rose first became involved in working on dinosaur bones in Queensland in 2008. Since then she has qualified as an Honorary Technician with the Australian Age of Dinosaurs in Winton, and worked on the bones from a number of different dinosaurs found in the area. She has also extensively explored sites of dinosaur interest in Australia. This decade long interest has resulted in a number of children's books. Rose's extensive knowledge and experience in the field combined with her work experience in literary support for reading skills, particularly in the school environment, inspired her to write. This has resulted in a series of books written to engage younger readers in interesting, real life situations featuring dinosaurs. Although fiction, her books are based around actual situations with Australian dinosaurs. Rose's books are perfect for early independent readers of mid to late primary school age. More information can be found at www.rosesiva.com

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

EPILOGUE

APPENDIX

This book has been inspired by dinosaur bones found in Australia, and my thanks go to all the dedicated people who have found, dug up and prepped bones. You are my inspiration and my source of wonderful ideas.

Thanks to Robyn at Eromanga for creating the perfect scene to set this book, and to her son for finding Cooper that started the whole adventure.

Special thanks to John at the Inland Oil Refinery, who was so generous in giving his time to talk to me about life and work at Eromanga. Your descriptions of life events, and your input and suggestions on how Josh’s adventure could reflect parts of real life gave me depth and breadth in developing the story line.

And thank you to the Eromanga Pub for just being there. Great little watering hole!

And special thanks to my friends who have encouraged me to continue to write, and to Lyn for her patient editing and proof reading.

CHAPTER 1

Josh stared at the wall.  It was a sort of grey colour, not actually grey and not actually white.  A sort of nothing colour. He looked across to the other wall. Also a nothing colour, but this wall had a power point half way up. Into the power point was plugged a small fridge.

So this was going to be home. A featureless nothingless space with a single bed against one wall and a fridge. And only one power point.

Why did he agree to this? Whatever possessed him to agree with Steve to do this?

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It had been Steve’s idea all along. Don’t go to uni, don’t stay home and waste your life, get out and give it a red-hot crack. All this higher education is bullshit – go get some real-life experience…

This was how Steve had started his working life. He’d worked as a labourer on a mine site straight out of school, and now he was top of his game, earning good money. It didn’t matter that Josh said that was years ago – it’s different now. Steve knew best.

So Steve organised ‘work experience’ through some mate of a mate at some place way out west. A place that was so far inland it was supposed to be the centre of Australia.

And here he was, in a donga – a little metal box with nothing coloured walls and one power point; no aircon, no TV, nothing, in a remote settlement who knows where…

It had been a long tiring trip. Bus to Toowoomba, bus to Charleville, and then another bus to Quilpie. All up about 24 hours, with the waiting around for connections. He was able to sleep on the bus; he was lucky he could sleep pretty much anywhere, which by the look of this donga was going to be a good thing.

He had been collected at the bus stop at Quilpie by Shaggy. Shaggy, as it turned out, worked for Craig who had worked with Steve some time back. He’d picked up supplies from Quilpie and was taking them though to Craig in Eromanga. Craig had arranged for Shaggy to pick up Josh.

You Craig’s new boy? asked Shaggy as Josh climbed into the old Toyota ute. He’d slung his backpack into the tray of the ute before climbing in, and noticed a crate tied down on the tray. Maybe that was what he was taking to Craig.

Guess so, muttered Josh.

Good, replied Shaggy. It seemed he was a man of few words.

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It was only about an hour to Eromanga. Nothing much to see, just flat dry country. They travelled in silence. When Shaggy pulled up at the Eromanga Caravan Park he didn’t offer to go in with Josh. He just grunted and indicated with a jerk of his head that Josh should get out.

The guy at reception was expecting Josh. 

Craig’s booked a donga out the back for you. He rummaged through a drawer and gave Josh a key. It’s one of the old ones, so it’s a bit of a walk to the showers and toilets, he apologised. But you’re a pretty fit young bloke so you’ll be right. You look buggered, he continued.  Best get some shut eye. Craig’ll be ‘round to pick you up in the morning. He walked to the door and pointed. Your donga’s over there on the right, past the tree and the utility shed. He looked at Josh again. Welcome to Eromanga, the furthest town from the sea.

You can get a good feed at the pub if you get there before seven, he added. Josh was too tired to take in what he was saying. He really needed some serious lie down sleep. Josh didn’t care. He wandered in the direction of his donga – his new home.

CHAPTER 2

Josh slept fitfully. He had images in his head of his bedroom at home and Steve sitting on the end of his bed. At one point he woke with a start, wondering where he was. He