Author(s): Gabiann Marin

Middle School (Ages 11-14) | RSO PLUS May 2024 Middle 11-14yrs

Victoria Street is a crossroads, like in those old stories of bushrangers and highwaymen. It’s a place where everyone and everything crosses paths ... A street right out of a fairytale, I reckon. It’s 1973, and 11-year-old Billie is living in the best street in the whole world: Victoria Street in Darlinghurst, Sydney. Billie can’t imagine being anywhere else. But things are changing. Billie’s neighbours are being forced out of their homes, and scary people are patrolling the street, trying to get everyone to leave. Without realising it, Billie, her family and her neighbours find themselves caught up in one of the most important public protests in Sydney’s history. The battle for Victoria Street is their fight to save their homes and their way of life from destruction.