WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF WIDU

Growing up in Perth, I always dreamed of becoming an artist. But when the time came to choose a career path, the uncertainty of making it as a creative felt too risky. Like many dreamers, I took what seemed like the safer route—studying web design, which I still do today. Yet that artistic dream never left me.

This book is my leap of faith toward that long-held dream.

The story itself began with an actual dream in summer 2018—so vivid it haunted me for days. I kept wondering: what did those kids find when they went down that cave? While I was already working on another story, this dream wouldn’t let go.

As I developed the idea, I faced the classic fantasy challenge: how do characters travel between realms? I wanted something original—no wardrobes or rabbit holes. The answer came from an extraordinary real-world event.

In 2018, a 750-year-old boab tree was relocated from the Kimberley to Kings Park—all 36 tons of it, traveling six days south. Named Gija Jumulu by the Gija people who gifted it to Western Australia, this ancient giant inspired my Wya-Jumulu trees. When my brother, who was living in Warmun at the time, received one of its seedlings and planted it over his newborn’s buried placenta (whenua in our culture—meaning both placenta and land), the connection between dreams, land, and new life felt perfect for my story.

What emerged is a series that begins with Harper, a kangaroo caught between careful analysis and leaps of faith, whose quest sets the stage for an even bigger story to come. Much like my own journey from safe career to chasing artistic dreams, these characters grapple with the choice between security and possibility, between overthinking and trusting your instincts.