▁novel ist ▁and ▁war ▁correspond ent . ▁ ▁H ales ▁was ▁born ▁at ▁Kent ▁Town , ▁Ad ela ide , ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁Frederick ▁Green wood ▁H ales , ▁a ▁wood - turn er , ▁and ▁his ▁wife ▁Sarah ▁Le igh , ▁n ée ▁Ve al . ▁He ▁had ▁the ▁ordinary ▁primary ▁education ▁of ▁his ▁time , ▁and ▁after ▁being ▁app r entic ed ▁to ▁a ▁car p enter ▁began ▁a ▁wand ering ▁career ▁by ▁going ▁to ▁the ▁country . ▁For ▁years ▁he ▁worked ▁as ▁a ▁farm ▁hand ▁and ▁r ouse about ▁and ▁became ▁a ▁magnific ent ▁r ider . ▁He ▁occasionally ▁contributed ▁to ▁country ▁newsp apers , ▁never ▁stay ing ▁long ▁in ▁one ▁place , ▁until ▁he ▁came ▁to ▁Bro ken ▁Hill , ▁New ▁South ▁Wales , ▁where ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁min ing ▁rep orter ▁for ▁some ▁years . ▁There ▁he ▁wrote ▁his ▁first ▁book , ▁The ▁W ander ings ▁of ▁a ▁Simple ▁Child , ▁which ▁was ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 0 . ▁This ▁went ▁into ▁a ▁third ▁edition ▁in ▁the ▁following ▁year . ▁H ales ▁then ▁visited ▁America ▁and ▁England ▁and ▁returning ▁to ▁Ad ela ide ▁started ▁the ▁Ad ela ide ▁Standard . ▁He ▁next ▁went ▁to ▁the ▁gold fields ▁in ▁Western ▁Australia ▁and ▁started ▁the ▁C ool g ard ie ▁M ining ▁Review . ▁A ▁fire ▁destroyed ▁his ▁plant ▁and ▁he ▁was ▁p enn il ess , ▁but ▁after ▁working ▁for ▁some ▁time ▁as ▁a ▁dry - b lower ▁he ▁went ▁to ▁B ould er ▁and ▁with ▁his