 When Hornung was 17 his health worsened ; he left Uppingham and travelled to Australia , where it was hoped by his family that the climate would be beneficial . On his arrival he was employed as a tutor to the Parsons family in Mossgiel in the Riverina , south @-@ western New South Wales . In addition to teaching , he spent time working in remote sheep stations in the outback and contributing material to the weekly magazine The Bulletin ; he also began writing what was to become his first novel . Although he spent only two years in Australia , the experience was " the making of him and ... the making of his career as a writer " , according to Rowland . Another biographer , Mark Valentine , wrote that Hornung " seems to have regarded this period as one of the most satisfying of his life " . 
 When Hornung was 17 his health worsened ; he left Uppingham and <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>travelled</mark></a> to Australia , where it was hoped by his family that the climate would be beneficial . On his arrival he was employed as a tutor to the Parsons family in Mossgiel in the Riverina , south @-@ western New South Wales . In addition to teaching , he spent time working in remote sheep stations in the outback and contributing material to the weekly magazine The Bulletin ; he also began writing what was to become his first novel . Although he spent only two years in Australia , the experience was " the making of him and ... the making of his career as a writer " , according to Rowland . Another biographer , Mark Valentine , wrote that Hornung " <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>seems</mark></a> to <a href='been_done' title='3'><mark>have</mark></a> regarded this period as one of the most satisfying of his life " . 
When Hornung was 17 his health worsened ; he left Uppingham and traveled to Australia , where it was hoped by his fam dat the climate would be beneficial . On his arrival he was employed as a tutor to da Parsons famfam Mossgiel in tdaRiverina , south @-@ western New South Wales . In addition to teaching , he spent time workin in remote sheep stations in thdautback and contributing material to thedaekly magazine The Bulletin ; he also began writing wht was to become his first novel . Although he spent only 2 years in Australia , the experience was " the wit of em and ... the daing of his career as a writer " , according to Rowland . Another biographer , Mark Valentine , wrote that Hornung " seem to done regarded dis period as one of the most satisfying of his life " .