Drive 20 minutes north of Bendigo, and you’ll hit Whipstick Forest. During spring a burst of colour hits the forest with native flower blooms and vibrantly clad bushwalkers making the most of the perfect weather. But at other times Whipstick’s tall ironbark trees and expansive bull mallee eucalypts make the forest feel hauntingly eerie.
Melbourne writer Mark Brandi will work with five other writers to capture the spine-tingling beauty of Whipstick in a new book, the first to commemorate the forest. During his residency Brandi, whose novel Wimmera won him the Debut Dagger award from the UK Crime Writers’ Association, will be based out of the Eaglehawk library on the edge of Whipstick. He’ll be running workshops with writers to unpack the history and mildly unnerving beauty of the nearby Whipstick Forest.
The words created by Brandi and his students will be compiled into a short book titled Whipstick, which will be launched during the Bendigo Writers Festival. For more information on how to get involved with the workshops, visit the Bendigo Writers Festival website closer to the event date.