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tracks them down and tries unsuccessfully to take back Buster. Later, Buster is hit by a car. As she battles for her life in hospital, Macauley must dash to
Adelaide to oppose his wife's court bid for custody of the child as he admits he wants to keep her. Lily has arrived at the hospital and promises to stay with Buster. He beats the case by threatening to expose his ex's relationship with Donny; Donny forces Marge to choose between him or the child, who it emerges she never had any intention of caring for. She was seeking custody only to spite Macauley and planned to put her in a home.
234:). Their romance is thwarted, however, by a jealous rival and after a misunderstanding Macauley finds himself back on the road and later working as a boxer in a travelling carnival. During a stopover in the old town, Macauley hopes to meet up again with Lily, only to find her married. Devastated, he turns to a fellow carnival-worker, Marge, and promises to marry her and move to the city, much to the concern of his friends who can see he doesn't love her and that the relationship is set to fail.
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Macauley takes Buster to the next town where he is welcomed by old friends Bella and Luke
Sweeney. He tries to get the child to stay with the kindly couple, believing they can offer her a better life than he can, but she refuses and Macauley reluctantly accepts they belong together. In Quorn, Marge
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While looking for work, finding it difficult with a child in tow, Macauley meets up again with Lily who reveals her husband has died in an accident and her father is gravely ill, leaving her to run their farm. Macauley visits with Lily's dying father, who reveals that Lily was never the same after
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Macauley returns to the hospital by train, arriving shortly before Buster opens her eyes, and when they see each other the love between the two is evident. The film ends there, but there is an implication that there may finally be a chance for
Macauley and Lily.
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Buster falls ill, with Lily and
Macauley arguing about how to take care of her. When Buster recovers, they take to the road again and Macauley starts to take pride in his daughter's strength and resilience.
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Years later, Macauley has left his wife and young daughter to work on the road, sending money home. When
Macauley has one of his infrequent visits to Marge, he finds her living with another man, Donny, an
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Macauley left all those years ago. Lily offers
Macauley a job and they later share a passionate moment, revealing they still have feelings for each other, but pride pushes them apart.
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A loner formerly from the city, Macauley finds himself in a small country town where he falls for the local butcher's daughter, Lily (
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The plot revolves around an itinerant rural worker and fighter — sometimes described as a "
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It was originally filmed as a mini series and was shot in
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Both the film and miniseries are available on streaming services.
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The miniseries won the Best
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The
Shiralee at the National Film and Sound Archive
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360:South Australian Film Corporation
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649:Films based on Australian novels
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664:1980s English-language films
654:Films set in South Australia
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130:Running time
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30:The Shiralee
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331:as Polkadot
329:Ray Meagher
313:as Thaddeus
289:as Macauley
287:Bryan Brown
225:Bryan Brown
133:103 minutes
77:Bryan Brown
63:Directed by
619:1987 films
608:Categories
450:4 February
366:References
272:miniseries
266:Miniseries
178:1988-06-26
125:Bruce Moir
117:Production
95:Chris Neal
53:Written by
342:Reception
337:as Beauty
320:Reg Evans
301:as Buster
240:SP bookie
104:Australia
354:See also
307:as Marge
122:Producer
91:Music by
73:Starring
36:Based on
444:The Age
295:as Lily
221:swagman
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171:Release
161:Network
112:English
594:(1994)
586:(1990)
578:(1987)
570:(1987)
562:(1986)
554:(1985)
148:Budget
486:IMDb
452:2021
281:Cast
215:Plot
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