The following review was contributed by: Warren Thurston (No longer active as reviewer)

The Lambing Flat is a tale of the clash between two different cultures. Set in the Australian outback of New South Wales in 1861, it depicts the depths men will sink to in the quenching of their greed. Life on the gold fields of this period was dirty and dangerous.

White Australian Miners saw it as their right to plunder the earth of its gold. It was a right they did not like sharing with one other ethnic group. That group was the Chinese, brought to Australia in large numbers by the Sze Yap Society.

Both groups had the same reason for venturing into the country's outback region. Gold lust had taken root in their souls. It drove them to believe that vast riches could be taken from the earth at a site called Lambing Flat. This craving to make a quick financial gain led to an infamous incident occurring.

Neither the white miners nor the Chinese had an understanding of each others' outlook on life. The Chinese, to the European way of thinking, brought filth and heathen practices to the colony. Their presence on the minefields, it was felt, violated the white miners' rights.

To protect their rights, the miners founded The Australian Miners Protective League. Under its guise, agitators took it upon themselves to rid the gold fields of Chinese. They attacked them in great numbers at Lambing Flat, causing serious injuries, and scalping as many Chinese as they could.

Two characters in the book struggle to come to terms with this world they find themselves in. One is the young white girl, Ella Quinn. The other is a Chinese boy named Lok.

Ella is born to Charles and Molly Quinn. They are two hard working people who find life on their harsh Queensland allotment, Tirabella, quite tough. It is a life which has small rewards for years of deprivation of the finer things of civilization.

Lok Leung and his father, Ah Leung, are among many Chinese who came to Australia seeking the New Gold Mountain. They find themselves in a hostile land. One which promises great wealth, but is filled with a hatred neither has experienced in their own country.

Ella and Lok take on the perils of a harsh land and an unforgiving society, as they seek to discover their own true self. Each has demons within them to combat and overcome. During their respective journeys, they meet, and this for both of them brings changes that they never expected.

Nerida Newton has proven with this novel that she does indeed possess all of the attributes of a great writer. She has produced a superbly written and researched novel. It depicts the political and physical character of a young Australia; a land that demanded respect from all of those who wished to exist on it.

To those who enjoy their fiction mixed with historical fact; this book is for them. It gives great insight into the human spirit, as it seeks compassion in the face of adversity. This is a book that is impossible to put down.

It is a book well worth the effort to read.