A riveting novella published on the centenary of the event in Broken Hill when two Afghan cameleers, long resident in Australia, decided to stand up for Turkey with whom Australia was soon to be at war, and attack the New Year's Day picnic. This is the author's fictionalised version of the event, in which he describes how "Australians" felt about the long standing Islamic camp that existed in their town, and surmises what pushed the perpetrators to such drastic action.

It is a quick read that gives you a lot to think about. ( )

In Broken Hill on New Year's Day 1915, two men dressed as Turks attacked the train taking locals to the annual picnic day organised by the local Independent Order of Oddfellows. The ensuing conflict ended with 4 dead. This book is a fictional account of an actual historic event that was the only enemy attack on Australian soil in WW1. It focuses on three of the people who died, including the two attackers - Afghan cameleers, who have heeded the Turkish Sultan's call to jihad against the British Empire. Given that there is sparse information about the event, and conflicting and inflated eyewitness accounts, the author has produced a good re-imagining of the day and the events leading up to it.
Note: the author talked about the book and the events described therein at Adelaide Writers Week 2015. ( )