Meredith Downes
       author & illustrator

I am a writer and illustrator of children's & young adult fiction. 

I have always enjoyed the quirky characters of the Australian bush – playing with a baby river turtle as a kid, befriending a rescued Boobook owl at university, entertaining native visitors to my rundown old Queenslander and running into wombats, Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, echidnas, and emus in my travels around the country. Originally a biologist, and a one-time archaeologist in training, I combine my love for native wildlife and my scientific understanding of animals to create my fiction for kids.

My other writings are inspired by my interest in history, theatre, martial arts, magic and unique voices with untold stories.​

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